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LIBRARY  OF 

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KEITH  M.  RE  AD 

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MAJOR  GENEEAL 


AMBROSE  E.  BURNSIDE 


NINTH  AEMT  COEPS 


A   NARRATIVE  OF   CAMPAIGNS   IN 


NORTH  CAROLINA,  MARYLAND,  VIRGINIA,  OHIO,  KENTUCKY, 

MISSISSIPPI  AND  TENNESSEE,  DLRING  THE  WAR  FOR 

THE  PRESERVATION  OF  THE  REPUBLIC, 


AUGUSTUS  WOODBURY 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  PORTRAITS  AXD  MAPS. 


PROVIDENCE: 
SIDNvEY   S.   RIDER  &   BROTHER. 

1867 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1866,  by 

Augustus  Woodbuky, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Rhode  Island. 


PEESS  OF  KNOWLES,  ANTHONY  &  CO.,  PROVIDENCE. 


TO     THE 

OFFICERS  A.3STX3         M  B  3ST 

OP    THE 

$inth  jSftjmi}   (Jotips : 

TO    THE 
WELL     WON     RENOWN     OF     THE 

L  I  V  I   N  G, 

AND    TO    THE   TENDER   AND   SACRED    MEMORY   OF    THE 

DEAD, 

THE  AUTHOR  DEDICATES  THIS  BOOK. 


PREFACE. 


"TTIOIv,  the  volume   which   is   here  given  to  the  public,  no 
_L        more  is  claimed  than  that  which  appears  upon  the  title 
page.     It  is  a  simple  narrative — in  the  four  distinct  parts  into 
which  the  subject  naturally  divided  itself— of  the  actions  and 
events  in  which  the  soldiers  of  the  Ninth  Army  Corps  and  their 
principal    commander    participated.     No  corps  in  the   army, 
with  the  exception  of  those  which  made  the  grand  march  from 
Atlanta  to  the  coast  and  up  through  the  Carolinas,  has  per- 
formed more  arduous  service,  or  marched  or  fousht  over  a 
wider  territory  than  the  Ninth.     The  soldiers  used  to  speak  of 
themselves  as  composing  "  the  first  class  in  geography."     It 
can  hardly  be    expected  that,  in   traversing    so  extensive    a 
field,  I  have  succeeded  in  avoiding  all  mistakes.     One  or  two 
errors  have  already  been  detected,  but  unfortunately  not  till 
after  the  sheets  had  been  printed,  when  it  was  impossible  to  rec- 
tify them.    In  general,  however,  I  think  it  will  be  found  that  the 
story  is  as  truthfully  told  .a/;  it  could  well  have  been  by  one,  who 
was  not  an  eye  witness  of  the  scenes  which  he  describes.     I  shall 
be  very  grateful  to  any  person  who  will  point  out  to  me  any  errors 
into  which  I  have  unwittingly  fallen.     My  design  has  simply 
been  to  tell  a  plain,  unvarnished  tale.  I  have  sought  to  extenuate 
nothing,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  have  set  down  nothing  in  malice. 
I  have  sought  to  narrate  actual  occurrences,  rather  than  to  ex- 
press  opinions.     If,  in  some  instances,   the  statements  which 
here  appear  are  somewhat  different  from  those  which  others 
have  made,  all  that  I  wish  to  insist  upon  is,  that  they  are  the 
statements  of  facts,  and  not  of  prejudice  or  fancy. 

One  mistake,  which  no  one  regrets  more  than  myself,  oc- 
curs upon  page  253,  where  the  9th  New  Ilampshire  regi- 
ment is  spoken  of,  as  though  it  had  been  separated  from  the 
Corps  for   a  time,  and  then  returned  to  it.     Such  was  not  the 


VI.  PREFACE. 

fact.  The  9th  New  Hampshire  was  connected  with  the  Corps 
from  the  beginning  unto  the  end.  It  joined  the  Corps  in  the 
latter  part  of  August,  1862,  having  then  just  arrived  from  home, 
and  was  assigned  to  General  Sturgis's  division.  It  imme- 
diately  entered  into  active  service,  was  very  creditably  engaged 
at  South  Mountain,  Antietam  and  Fredericksburg,  went  West, 
was  in  the  Mississippi  campaign,  was  on  garrison  duty  in  Ken- 
tucky, gaining  deserved  honor  by  its  good  discipline,  returned 
to  the  East  with  the  Corps,  and  shared  in  all  the  operations  of 
the  summer  of  1864  and  around  Petersburg,  until  the  close  of 
the  war.  Everywhere  the  regiment  performed  manful  and 
soldierly  service,  and  won  for  itself  and  its  State,  in  its  earliest 
days  as  in  its  last,  an  honorable  fame.  Its  officers  were  brave 
and  able,  and  its  enlisted  men,  at  its  original  organization,  were 
drawn  from  the  ranks  of  the  intelligent  yeomanry  of  the  Gran- 
ite State.  My  regret,  for  the  occurrence  of  the  error  respecting 
its  career,  is  lessened  by  the  satisfaction  which  I  feel  in  giving 
this  particular  notice  of  its  faithful  service. 

My  grateful  acknowledgments  are  due  to  the  officers  of  the 
Ninth  Corps  for  acts  of  consideration  and  confidence,  and  for 
the  readiness  with  which  they  have  entrusted  to  me  many  of 
their  cherished  papers  and  documents.  I  wish  expressly  to 
declare  my  obligations  to  Generals  Burnside,  Parke,  Willcox, 
Cox,  Potter  and  Ferrero,  for  repeated  kindnesses  ;  to  General 
S.  G.  Griffin,  for  the  use  of  his  manuscript  notes  ;  to  General 
Loring,  for  many  excellent  suggestions  and  much  indispensable 
information  ;  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Earned,  for  constant  and 
laborious  cooperation,  and  to  Alexander  Farnum,  Esq.,  of 
Providence,  for  most  important  assistance. 

I  thus  send  forth  my  book,  hoping  for  it,  from  the  general 
public,  a  kindly  reception,  and  trusting  that  the  officers  and 
men  of  the  Ninth  Corps  will  look  upon  it  with  considerate  fa- 
vor, as  an  appreciative,  though  imperfect  story  of  their  patri- 
otism and  valor. 

A.  W 

Providence,  R.  I;,  December,  I860. 


CONTENTS. 


THE    EXPEDITION    TO    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Page. 

Chapter  I.  The  First  Commander  of  the  Ninth  Corps 3 

II.  The  First  Rhode  Island  Regiment 12 

III.  Hatteras  Inlet 20 

IV  Roanoke  Island  and  its  capture 29 

V.  Newbern  and  Fort  Macon 51 

VI.  The  Department  of  lsTorth  Carolina 76 


THE    ARMY    OF    THE    POTOMAC. 

Chapter  I.    The  Organization  of  the  Ninth  Corps 101 

II.    The  Campaign  in  Maryland  —  South  Mountain 118 

III.    The  Battle  of  Antietam 132 

IV     After  Antietam 156 

V-    Towards  Fredericksburg ■ 174 

VI.    The  Pontons 190 

VII.    At  Falmouth 200 

VIII.    The  Battle  of  Fredericksburg 210 

IX.     After  Fredericksburg 236 


THE    DELIVERANCE    OF    EAST    TENNESSEE. 

Chapter  I.    The  Department  of  the  Ohio. 261 

II.    The  Campaign  in  Mississippi 279 

III.    John  Morgan's  Raid 291 

IV     Over  the  Mountains 302 

V.    Conquest  and  Occupation 311 

VI.    The  Siege  of  Knoxville 327 

VII.    After  the  Siege 352 


vin.  contend; 


THE  LAST  YEAR  OP  THE  REBELLION. 

Chai-tek  I.    Reorganization 3G3 

II.    The  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania 371 

III.    To  the  James  River 387 

IV     In  front  of  Petersburg  405 

V     The  Mine 418 

VI.    Inquiry  and  Investigation 451 

VII.    The  Beginning  of  the  End 463 

VIII.    The  Closing  Scenes 475 

IX.     Conclusion 490 

proclamation  of  union  commanders 509 

Statement  of  Geneeal  Btjknside  in  the  Vallandigiiam  case. 510 
rostes  of  the  ninth  coups 513 


MAPS. 

Roanoke  Island ...   ; Opposite   40 

The  Defences  of  In  ewbern "  50 

The  Battle  of  Antietam "  136 

The  Battle  of  Fredericksburg "  216 

Prom  Loudon  to  Knoxville "  328 

The  Siege  of  Knoxville "  344 

The  Ninth  Corps,  July  30,  1X114 "  432 

The  Investment  of  Petersburg "  480 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Portrait  of  General  Burnside Frontispiece. 

The  Landing  of  the  Troops  at  Roanoke  Island Opposite   32 

Portrait  of  General  Foster "         96 

Portrait  of  General  Reno "       128 

Portrait  of  General  Cox *. "       160 

Portrait  of  General  "Willcox "       172 

Portrait  of  General  Parke .-  •  •  •        "       252 

Portrait  of  General  Potter "        316 


THE  EXPEDITION 


NOETH    CAKOLINA. 


THE  EXPEDITION 


NORTH     CAEOLINA 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   FIRST    COMMANDER   OP   THE   NINTH    CORPS. 

BY  a  singular  good  fortune,  not  paralleled  by  any  other 
corps  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  the  relations  of 
the  Ninth  Corps  with  its  leading  officers  were  unchanged 
during;  the  continuance  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  General 
Ambrose  Everett  Burnside  was  its  first  commander,  and  from 
the  date  of  the  organization  of  the  Corps  until  his  retirement 
from  the  service,  General  Burnside's  history  was  identified 
with  its  own.  Many  of  the  officers  and  men  who  com- 
posed it  were  those  who  fought  the  battles  of  Roanoke 
Island  and  Newbern.  They  were  with  their  General  at  Sojith 
Mountain  and  Antietam.  They  were  a  part  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  when  the  heights  of  Fredericksburg  were  assailed. 
They  followed  their  leader  to  the  deliverance  of  East  Ten- 
nessee. They  again  became  a  portion  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  in  the  closing  campaign  of  the  war,  and  the  ensan- 
guined fields  of  the  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Cold  Harbor, 
and  Petersburg  bore  witness  to  their  united  valor.  The 
career  of  the   Corps   and  its   story  are  inseparable  from  those 


4  EXPEDITION   TO  NORTH   CAROLINA. 

of  him  who,  in  the  early  days  of  the  war,  led  the  First  Rhode 
Island  Regiment  to  the  relief  of  Washington.  Several  of  the 
privates  and  officers  of  that  regiment  were  afterwards  officers 
in  the  Corps.  They  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  man  whom 
they  had  learned  to  love,  from  the  first  to  the  last,  and  with 
undeviating  fidelity.  It  becomes  necessary,  therefore,  before 
entering  upon  the  history  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  as  a  distinct 
organization,  to  sketch,  in  the  preliminary  chapters  of  this 
volume,  the  early  life  of  General  Burnside,  and  to  give  some 
account  of  the  operations  which  he  conducted  in  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina. 

In  the  year  1813,  a  party  of  friends  from  South  Carolina 
joined  the  great  caravan  of  emigrants  that  were  rapidly  filling 
the  great  fields  of  the  west.  Belonging  to  this  party  were  a 
Mr.  Edg-ehill  Burnside  and  Miss  Pamelia  Brown,  with  others 
of  their  acquaintances  and  neighbors.  The  emigrants  settled 
in  what  was  then  Indiana  Territory,  in  that  section  which  af- 
terwards became  Union  County.  In  the  veins  of  Mr.  Burn- 
side flowed  the  blood  of  those  heroic  men  who,  at  Bannock- 
burn  and  Flodden  Field  and  on  many  a  well  fought  field  in 
both  hemispheres,  have  proved  that  the  Scotch  are  among  the 
best  soldiers  in  the  world.  His  parents  were  born  in  Scotland, 
and,  removing  to  America  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, settled  in  South  Carolina.  Here  their  son  was  born  and 
educated.  Here  he  remained  until  the  tide  of  emigration  bore 
him  away  upon  its  surface  to  the  West.  Having  decided  to 
fix  his  residence  in  Indiana,  he  selected  a  fine  place  near  what 
is  now  the  town  of  Liberty,  and  there  proceeded  to  establish 
his  home.  There,  soon  after  his  arrival,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Brown.  His  subsequent  success  in  gaining  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens,  attests  a  character  in- 
dustrious, faithful  and  trustworthy.  Following  the  profession 
of  the  law,  he  acquired  a  respectable  reputation  as  a  coun- 
sellor, was  largely  employed  in  the  administration  of  estates,, 
and  enjoyed  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice.  He  is  found 
afterwards   and  for  several   years,   honorably   and    creditably 


THE   FIRST   COMMANDER.  5 

filling  the  offices  of  clerk  and  judge  of  the  county  Probate 
Court. 

Into  this  family,  Ambrose — the  fifth  child — was  born  on 
the  23d  day  of  May,  1824.  He  was  carefully  nurtured,  and 
received  his  elementary  education  in  the  best  .schools  of  the 
neighborhood.  There  are  glimpses  of  a  boyhood  ardent,  affec- 
tionate and  adventurous — of  high  hopes,  of  generous  ambition, 
of  honorable  spirit — early  evincing  a  love  for  military  sports 
and  studies,  and  for  any  enterprise  that  had  the  spice  of  ro- 
mance or  danger.  As  he  grew  up,  other  children  were  added 
to  the  family — a  son  and  daughter.  The  farm  had  become 
cultivated  and  comfortable.  The  family  had  grown  to  be  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  respected  in  Eastern  Indiana.  Mr. 
Burnside  had  received  abundant  testimonials  from  his  neigh- 
bors and  friends  of  their  confidence  and  regard.  The  children 
were  enjoying  that  training  which  would  fit  them  for  futuie 
usefulness  and  honor. 

But  as  the  older  sons  and  daughters  were  entering  upon  an 
active  course  of  life,  misfortunes  came.  Mr.  Burnside  lost  his 
property  in  some  unprofitable  business  transaction,  and  it 
almost  seemed  as  though  the  days  which  had  been  so  bright 
and  prosperous  were  to  end  in  poverty.  But  if  material  pos- 
sessions were  lost,  there  were  resources  of  character  which 
could  not  fail.  The  children — both  girls  and  boys — at  once 
set  themselves  to  work  to  help  their  father  out  of  his  pecuniary 
troubles.  Ambrose  engaged  himself  to  a  trader  in  the  town, 
who  carried  on  a  country  store,  held  the  office  of  postmaster, 
and  also  followed  the  business  of  a  tailor.  But  young  Burn- 
side was  not  destined  for  a  long  continuance  in  this  situation. 

His  father  had  already  desired  that  one  of  his  sons  should 
be  educated  at  West  Point,  and  Ambrose  was  selected  for  the 
position.  It  is  a  pleasing  evidence  of  the  esteem  in  which  Mr. 
Burnside  was  held,  that  all  the  members  of  the  Legislature  of 
Indiana  united  in  a  recommendation  to  Hon.  Caleb  B.  Smith, 
the  member  of  Congress  having  the  appointment,  to  give 
young  Burnside  the  coveted  privilege.     Mr.  Smith  accordingly 


6  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH   CAROLINA. 

acceded  to  the  request,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the 
academical  year  1842,  Ambrose  Everett  Burnside  was  enrolled 
among  the  cadets  in  the  military  service  of  the  United  States. 

His  life  at  West  Point  was  similar  to  that  of  his  fellow  stu- 
dents. He  numbered  among  his  classmates  Orlando  B.  Wall- 
cox,  Ambrose  P.  Hill,  Eomeyn  B.  Ayres,  Otis  H.  Tillinghast, 
Charles  Griffin,  and  Henry  Heth,  all  of  whom  have  won  dis- 
tinction upon  one  side  or  the  other  in  the  course  of  the  war. 
Among  the  other  classes  are  found  the  names  of  Ulysses  S. 
Grant,  Fitz  John  Porter,  Charles  P  Stone,  Barnard  E.  Bee, 
Wm.  L.  Crittenden,  Geo.  B.  McClellan,  Thomas  J.  Jackson, 
Geo.  F.  Evans,  John  G.  Foster,  Darius  N.  Couch,  John  G. 
Parke,  and  Jesse  L.  Reno.  Upon  the  academic  staff  were 
Professor  Mahan,  Wm.  S.  Rosecrans,  Israel  Vogdes,  Joseph 
G.  Totten,  and  E.  D.  Keyes.  The  friendships  then  formed 
continued  until  later  life,  and  helped  to  enhance  the  enjoyment 
of  a  soldier's  life  in  the  camps  of  the  Union  army,  and  "to  miti- 
gate the  pains  of  hostile  encounter  with  those  whom  the  civil 
war  made  temporary  enemies.  During  the  term  of  study,  the 
war  with  Mexico  broke  out,  and  the  young  men  partook  of 
the  general  excitement  of  the  nation.  In  1847,  young  Burn- 
side  graduated  in  the  artillery — the  eighteenth  in  rank  in  a 
class  of  thirty-eight  members.  His  commission,  as  brevet 
Second  Lieutenant  in  the  2d  Artillery,  was  dated  July  1, 1847, 
and  on  the  8th  of  September,  1847,  he  was  promoted  to  a  full 
second  lieutenancy,  and  assigned  to  the  i>d  Artillery. 

Immediately  upon  his  graduation,  Lieutenant  Burnside  pro- 
ceeded to  the  seat  of  war.  On  his  arrival  at  Vera  Cruz,  he 
was  put  in  command  of  an  escort  to  a  baggage  train,  and  sent 
into  the  interior.  Although  the  route  was  in  the  nominal 
possession  of  the  United  States  Army,  the  Mexicans,  by  a 
species  of  guerilla  warfare  for  which  they  are  famous,  had 
succeeded  in  disabling  and  cutting  off  several  trains  that  had 
previously  been  sent  out.  The  duty  was  hazardous,  and  the 
post  responsible.  But  the  young  officer  handled  his  command 
with   great   address   and   skill,  carried  it   safely  through,  and 


THE   FIRST    COMMANDER.  7 

won  the  hearty  commendation  of  his  superiors.  Before  he 
reached  the  Capital,  however,  the  battles  in  front  of  the  city 
of  Mexico  had  been  fought,  and  the  war  was  virtually  at  an  end. 
He  was  thus  deprived  of  the  opportunity  which  he  wished  of 
engaging,  to  any  great  extent,  in  the  active  operations  of  the 
armies  in  the  field.  When  peace  was  proclaimed,  and  the 
army  had  returned  home,  Lieutenant  Burnside  was  ordered  to 
Fort  Adams,  Newport,  K.  I.,  where,  by  his  eminently  social 
qualities,  and  his  frank,  urbane,  and  honorable  bearing,  he 
gained  many  friends,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  that  remarka- 
ble esteem  with  which  he  has  long  been  regarded  in  the  State 
of  Rhode  Island. 

In  the  year  1849,  Lieutenant  Burnside  was  transferred  from 
the  agreeable  duty  of  the  post  at  Fort  Adams  and  ordered  to 
New  Mexico,  to  join  Bragg's  famous  battery,  of  which  he  was 
now  appointed  First  Lieutenant.  It  was  found  that  the  country 
was  not  favorable  for  the  operations  of  light  artillery.  Bragg's 
command  was  reorganized  as  cavalry,  and  Lieutenant  Burn- 
side, as  second  in  command  to  Capt.  H.  B.  Judd,  was  assigned 
to  the  duty  of  mail  escort  upon  the  Plains.  The  service  was 
very  perilous  and  exciting,  but  the  young  officer  bore  himself 
with  so  much  coolness  and  bravery  as  to  elicit  warm  enco- 
miums for  his  conduct.  He  reached  New  Mexico  on  the  1st 
of  August,  and  immediately  entered  into  active  service.  On 
the  21st  of  that  month,  while  stationed  near  Los  Vegas  with  a 
force  of  twenty-nine  men,  he  came  in  contact  with  a  company 
of  Indian  warriors  more  than  double  his  own  command  in 
number,  drawn  up  at  the  head  of  a  ravine  to  dispute  his 
progress.  He  immediately  determined  to  attack  them ;  and, 
after  a  single  discharge  of  their  rifles,  his  men,  led  by  their 
gallant  commander,  charged  with  sabres,  and  swept  the 
Apaches  like  chaff  before  them.  In  this  brief  and  brilliant 
engagement,  eighteen  Indians  were  killed,  nine  were  taken 
prisoners,  forty  horses  and  all  the  supplies  of  the  band  were 
captured,  and  the  whole  party  was  completely  dispersed.     The 


8  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH   CAROLINA. 

commander  of  the  post,   Capt.  Judd,  warmly  complimented 
Burnside  in  despatches,  and  recommended  him  for  promotion. 

In  the  winter  of  1850-51,  Lieutenant  Burnside  acceptably 
filled  the  office  of  Quartermaster  of  the  Boundary  Commission, 
then  engaged  in  running  the  line  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico,  as  established  by  the  treaty  of  peace  negotiated 
by  the  two  nations.  In  September,  1851,  he  was  ordered 
from  the  Gila  Biver,  where  the  Commission  was  then  en- 
camped, to  proceed  across  the  vast  plains  of  the  West  to 
Washington,  as  bearer  of  despatches  to  the  government  of  the 
United  States.  It  was  a  duty  which  required  the  utmost 
vigilance,  prudence,  and  persistence.  It  was  necessary  that 
the  despatches  should  reach  Washington  at  the  earliest  possi- 
ble moment.  With  an  escort  of  three  men — one  of  whom  was 
his  faithful  negro  servant,  whom  he  had  found  in  New  Mexico, 
and  who  has  since  followed  his  fortunes  with  a  singular  devo- 
tion— he  started  on  his  difficult  enterprise.  Twelve  hundred 
miles  of  wilderness,  occupied  by  wild  beasts  and  Indians,  many 
of  whom  were  hostile,  lay  between  him  and  civilization.  lie 
accomplished  the  distance  in  seventeen  days,  meeting  with 
many  adventures  and  hair-breadth  escapes  upon  the  way.  At 
one  time,  a  party  of  Indians  was  upon  his  trail  for  more  than 
twenty-four  hours,  and  he  only  escaped  by  taking  advantage 
of  the  darkness  of  the  night  to  double  upon  his  pursuers.  He 
fully  attained  the  object  of  his  mission,  and  was  commended 
by  the  authorities  for  his  fidelity  and  success. 

During  his  time  of  service  in  New  Mexico,  Lieutenant  Burn- 
side  had  ascertained  that  the  carbine  then  generally  in  use 
among  our  mounted  soldiers,  was  wholly  unsuitable  and  inad- 
equate for  the  peculiar  warfare  of  that  region.  While  Upon 
his  journey  to  Washington,  he  occupied  his  mind  with  an 
attempt  to  supply  the  deficiency.  He  revolved  the  subject  in 
his  thoughts,  and  when  further  opportunities  were  <nven  him 
elaborated  his  plans,  until,  as  the  result  of  his  reflection  and 
study,  he  was  enabled  to  produce  a  new  arm.  He  invented  a 
breech-loading  rifle,  which  was  vastly  superior  to  any  arm  of 


THE    FIRST    COMMANDER.  9 

the  kind  then  in  the  Service.  It  was  distinguished  for  the  fa- 
cility with  which  it  could  be  loaded,  discharged,  and  cleansed, 
for  its  endurance  as  a  serviceable  weapon,  its  accuracy  of  aim, 
and  its  length  of  range.  Other  breech-loading:  rifles  have  been 
invented  since  that  time,  the  excellences  of  which  have  some- 
what obscured  the  merit  of  this  arm.  But  at  the  time  of  its 
invention,  it  was  beyond  question  the  best  of  its  kind.  The 
inventor  was  especially  desirous  that  his  own  country  should 
receive  the  benefit  of  his  labors,  and  that  our  soldiers  upon  the 
frontiers  should  enjoy  the  protection  which  a  really  superior 
weapon  would  afford.  He  offered  to  contract  with  the  Gov- 
ernment for  the  manufacture  of  the  rifle,  and  was  encouraged 
by  the  War  Department  to  feel  that  his  offers  would  be  ac- 
cepted. Meanwhile,  he  returned  to  his  former  post  at  New- 
port. While  here,  on  the  27th  of  April,  1852,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Richmond  Bishop,  of  Providence. 

The  expectation  of  a  contract  for  the  manufacture  of  the 
newly  invented  weapon,  and  the  flattering  encouragement 
which  he  received  from  the  War  Department  and  the  authori- 
ties at  Washington,  his  marriage,  and  the  peaceful  state  of  the 
country  induced  Lieutenant  Burnside  to  leave  the  service,  and 
accordingly,  on  the  1st  of  November,  1853,  he  resigned  his 
commission.  Removing  to  Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  he  built  a 
large  manufactory,  entered  into  business  arrangements  with 
some  of  the  leading  capitalists  of  the  State,  and  prepared  to 
complete  his  negotiations  with  the  National  Government.  Un- 
fortunately for  him,  the  contract  was  not  consummated,  and 
after  a  few  years  of  struggle  and  loss,  Mr.  Burnside  became  so 
deeply  involved  as  to  prevent  any  further  progress  in  his 
adopted  occupation.  He  was  still  more  embarrassed  by  the 
action  of  John  B.  Floyd,  who  became  Secretary  of  War  in 
1857,  and  who  held  out  promises,  encouragements,  and  induce- 
ments, only  to  disappoint  their  object.  *  Mr.  Burnside  there- 
fore soon  found  himself  compelled  to  withdraw  entirely  from' 
the  manufacture  of  arms.  With  characteristic  high  minded- 
ness  and  honorable  feeling,  he  gave  up  everything  which  he 


10  EXPEDITION  TO  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

possessed,  including  his  patent,  to  his  creditors  ;  and,  selling 
even  his  uniform  and  sword,  sought  to  retrieve  his  fortunes  at 
the  West. 

The  city  of  Chicago  invited  the  efforts  of  the  embarassed 
but  still  hopeful  young  man.  His  old  friend  and  schoolmate, 
Captain  George  B.  McClellan,  had  resigned  his  commission,  and 
now  occupied  an  honorable  position  in  that  place  as  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  Mr.  Burnside  went  to 
Chicago  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  1858,  and  there  met  Mr. 
William  H.  Osborn,  the  President  of  the  road,  who  proved 
himself  a  fast  and  valued  friend.  Upon  Mr.  Osborn's  recom- 
mendation, Mr.  Burnside  obtained  the  situation  of  cashier  in 
the  Land  Department  of  the  road.  He  made  his  quarters  with 
Captain  McClellan,  and'  around  a  common  fireside  the  two 
friends  renewed  the  intimacy  of  former  days.  Mr.  Burnside, 
limiting  his  expenses  to  a  certain  amount,  devoted  the  remain- 
der of  his  salary  to  the  payment  of  his  debts;  and,  when  after- 
wards he  was  enabled  to  free  himself  entirely  from  the  claims 
of  his  creditors,  his  unblemished  integrity  in  business  was  as 
conspicuous  as  his  fidelity  in  the  field.  In  June,  I860,  he  had 
won  the  confidence  of  the  Directors  of  the  Railroad  Company 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  receive  the  appointment  of  Treasurer 
of  the  Corporation. 

By  these  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  thus  hastily  sketched,  was 
the  early  character  of  General  Burnside  trained.  He  had 
known  what  it  was  to  struggle  against  poverty,  disappoint- 
ment, and  failure.  He  had  so  conducted  himself — he  had 
manifested  such  courage  and  persistence  through  all  the  con- 
test as  to  attract  attention  to  his  true  and  manly  qualities. 
The  people  of  Rhode  Island  had  made  him  the  Major  General 
of  their  State  Militia.  He  had  also  stood  through  one  political 
canvass  as  a  candidate  for  a  seat  in  Congress,  and  was  defeated 
only  by  his  connection  with  an  unpopular  party.  In  Chicago 
he  had  been  widely  and  favorably  known  for  his  energy  and 
his  skill  in  affairs,  his  geniality  in  social  intercourse,  his  hio-h 
sense  of  honor,  and  his  honest  simplicity.     By  the  proper  ex- 


THE    FIRST    COMMANDER.  11 

erclse  of  such  qualities  he  had  won  his  way  through  all  diffi- 
culties, till  at  last  he  had  secured  an  honorable  and  lucrative 
position.  Always  patriotic,  he  could  not  endure  the  idea  of 
the  secession  of  the  Southern  States,  which*  had  begun  to  be 
seriously  discussed  in  the  latter  part  of  President  Buchanan's 
administration. 

A  few  months  before  the  war  broke  out,  Mr.  Burnside  hap- 
pened to  be  in  New  Orleans,  and  of  course  the  conversation 
among  those  he  met  turned  upon  the  all-absorbing  question. 
"  There  will  be  no  war,"  said  his  friends.  "  Northern  men 
will  not  fight.  The  South  will  separate  herself  from  the  Union, 
will  set  up  an  independent  government,  and  will  draw  to  her 
the  Middle  and  Western  States.  We  shall  do  whatever  we 
please,  and  give  laws  and  government  to  the  continent.  The 
North  will  not  fight,  and  the  South  will  have  an  easy  triumph." 

"  You  entirely  mistake  the  character  of  the  Northern  people," 
said  Burnside.  "  They  will  fight.  They  never  will  allow  the 
Union  to  be  broken,  and  a  free  government  to  be  thus  de- 
stroyed without  a  contest.  If  you  persist  in  your  purpose  of 
secession,  there  will  be  war,  a  bloody  and  cruel  war.  Not 
only  will  the  North  fight,  but  she  will  also  triumph.  The  ex- 
periment of  secession  will  fail,  and  the  South,  in  ruin  and  des- 
olation, will  bitterly  repent  the  day  when  she  attempted  to 
overthrow  a  wise  and  beneficent  government.  Why  do  you 
seek  redress  for  what  you  call  your  wrongs,  in  civil  war?  The 
first  gun  that  you  fire  will  unite  us  all — whatever  our  political 
opinions  may  be — in  opposition  to  your  attempt.  The  gov- 
ernment will  be  sustained,  and  you  will  suffer  a  disastrous 
defeat." 

He  spoke  in  sadness,  for  he  deplored  war.  But  he  spoke 
earnestly,  for  he  was  thoroughly  loyal,  and  he  knew,  better 
than  his  Southern  friends,  the  spirit  of  the  North.  He  little 
thought,  at  that  time,  of  the  extent  and  severity  of  the  strug- 
gle, nor  did  he  expect  to  become  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
actors  in  its  scenes. 


12  EXPEDITION   TO  NORTH   CAROLINA.  [Apeil, 


CHAPTEK    II. 

THE   FIRST   RHODE   ISLAND    REGIMENT. 

THE  memorable  13th  of  April  came  upon  the  country  not 
unawares.  Fort  Sumter  was  bombarded  by  South 
Carolina  troops,  and  the  whole  North — as  Mr.  Burnside  had 
predicted — was  aroused  to  arms.  Preceding  events  had  pre- 
pared the  country,  in  some  degree,  for  the  struggle.  But  it 
was  hardly  supposed  that  the  challenge  which  the  South  had 
offered  would  be  so  promptly  accepted,  or  that  the  gage  of 
battle  which  it  had  thrown  down  would  be  so  readily  taken 
up.  The  North  was  peaceful.  Northern  men  were  engaged 
in  industrial  pursuits,  and  did  not  seek  the  excitement,  the 
danger,  or  the  glory  of  war.  But  throughout  the  North  there 
was  a  deep-seated  sentiment  of  loyalty  to  free  institutions,  and 
a  determination  that  such  institutions  should  not  be  rudely  and 
needlessly  overthrown.  Northern  men  were  not  pusillanimous, 
as  the  South  had  supposed.  They  were  not,  and  never  have 
been,  quarrelsome.  But  they  had  a  reverence  for  order  and 
law,  and  though  they  might  not  at  times  be  willing  to  resent 
a  personal  injury,  they  would  not  permit  the  national  integi-ity 
to  be  assailed  with  impunity.  A  personal  enemy  they  might 
not  punish.  But  a  public  enemy  would  meet  with  no  favor  at 
their  hands. 

Mr.  Burnside  shared  in  the  general  feeling.  His  ardent 
temperament  and  his  devotion  to  a  principle  of  duty  led  him 
to  adopt,  with  the  whole  force  of  his  nature,  the  cause  of  the 
government  as  his  own.  He  was  not,  politically,  a  friend  of 
the  administration  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  But  he  was  a  lover  of  his 
country.     Mr.  Lincoln  way  the  constitutionally  elected  Presi- 


1861.J  FIRST   RHODE    ISLAND   REGIMENT.  13 

dent  of  the  United  States.  The  secessionists  of  the  South  be- 
came, by  the  act  of  war,  rebels  and  traitors  against  a  free  gov- 
ernment. As  such,  they  must  be  opposed  to  the  death.  It 
was  no  question  of  parties.  It  was  a  question  of  patriotism, 
and  no  one,  who  knew  -Mr.  Burnside,  could  mistake  as  to  the 
course  which  he  would  pursue.  His  country  had  given  him 
an  education,  and  he  must  now  make,  return  for  her  generosity 
by  devoting  himself  to  her  service.  Inclination  agreed  with 
duty,  for,  though  averse  to  arms,  he  loved  an  active  and  labo- 
rious life.  There  was,  indeed,  great  danger,  but  the  sentiment 
of  patriotism  was  stronger  than  the  regard  for  bodily  safety. 
He  loved  his  home.  But  the  obligation  to  his  country  was 
more  imperative  than  his  affection  for  family  and  friends.  He 
was  not  a  rich  man.  He  had  but  little  income  beyond  the 
salary  of  his  office.  But  the  claims  of  the  nation,  in  her  hour 
of  peril,  surpassed  all  others,  and  he  was  ready  to  sacrifice  for- 
tune, happiness,  and  life  in  her  behalf. 

On  Monday,  the  15th  of  April,  1861,  Mr.  Burnside  was  sit- 
ting in  his  office  in  the  city  of  Xew  York,  when  a  telegraphic 
despatch  was  handed  to  him.  It  was  dated  at  Providence,  was 
from  William  Sprague,  then  Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
was  to  the  following  purport :  "  A  regiment  of  Rhode  Island 
troops  will  go  to  Washington  this  week.  How  soon  can  you 
come  on  and  take  command  ?"  The  reply  nwas  very  brief  and 
to  the  point.  Two  words  expressed  it:  "At  once."  The 
next  morning  he  was  in  Providence,  received  his  commission 
as  Colonel  of  the  First  Regiment  Rhode  Island  Detached  Mi- 
litia, immediately  appointed  his  staff,  and  commenced  the  work 
of  organization  and  equipment.  The  Governor  and  the  other 
State  authorities  co-operated  with  him  in  a  very  efficient  and 
creditable  manner.  The  people  of  the  State  forgot  their  polit- 
ical differences,  and  were  filled  with  enthusiasm  for  the  im- 
pending enterprise.  More  men  offered  their  services  for  the 
campaign  than  could  be  accepted.  So  promptly  and  effec- 
tively did  the  work  proceecf,  that,  on  Thursday,  April  18th,  a 
light  battery  of  six   rifled   pieces,  fully  furnished  with  horses, 


14  EXPEDITION    TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [Apbil, 

equipage,  and  men,  left  Providence,  and  on  Saturday,  the  20th, 
the  first  detachment  of  five  hundred  men  and  forty-four  officers, 
completely  armed,  uniformed,  equipped,  and  provisioned  for  a 
three  weeks'  campaign,  and  accompanied  by  the  Governor  of 
the  State  with  members  of  his  staff,  embarked  for  the  seat  of 
war.  The  second  detachment,  of  equal  force,  followed  in  the 
course  of  the  next  few  days.  The  first  detachment  landed  at 
Annapolis,  Md.,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  24th,  and  marched  the 
next  morning  for  Annapolis  Junction.  The  troops  reached 
that  place  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  and  took  cars  for  Wash- 
ington, arriving  about  noon.  The  0th  Massachusetts  had 
reached  there  on  the  19th,  the  7th  New  York  and  the  8th 
Massachusetts  on  the  25th.  But  it  is  due  to  the  First 
Rhode  Island  to  say,  that  it  was  the  first  regiment  that  had 
arrived  fully  prepared,  independently  of  the  aid  of  the  General 
Government,  to  take  the  field  immediately.  It  could  have 
started,  for  a  week  or  fortnight's  march  into  hostile  territory, 
on  the  very  evening  of  its  arrival  in  Washington. 

Colonel  Burnside   at   once   put  his  regiment  under  drill.     A 
site  for   an   encampment   was   found  about  two  miles  out  from 
the  heart   of  the   city,  near   the   Bladensburg   turnpike.     The 
camp  soon  became  a  favorite  place  of  resort.     The  comfort,  the 
cleanliness,  the   fine   1  tearing,   the   excellent   discipline   of  the 
Rhode  Island  troops  were  themes  for  commendation  upon'every 
tongue.     Their  dress  parade  at  sunset  was  one  of  the  acknowl- 
edged   "sights"    of   Washington.       Hundreds   of  spectators, 
among   whom   were   not   infrequently   President   Lincoln,   the 
members  of  the  Cabinet,  and  the  most   distinguished  men   of 
the  country,  daily  assembled  to  witness  the  parade  and  to  par- 
ticipate  in   the  religious   services    that  usually   concluded  it. 
The   scene   was   of  great  impressiveness  and  beauty.      Colonel 
Burnside  was  everywhere  recognized  as  a  skillful  and  admira- 
ble soldier.     The  regiment  joined  General  Patterson's  column, 
for  a  week  or  two  in  June,  in  a  demonstration  against  Harper's 
Ferry,  then   held  by   the   rebel   troops  under   General    J    E 


1861.]  FIRST   RHODE   ISLAND    REGIMENT.  15 

Johnston,  and  then  returned  to  Washington  to  take  part  in 
more  serious  and  important  movements. 

On  the  21st  of  July  was  fought  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Eun. 
The  troops  marched  out  from  Washington  on  the  16th.  Colo- 
nel Burnside  was  put  in  command  of  a  brigade,  consisting  of 
his  own  and  three  other  regiments  —  the  2d  Rhode  Island, 
the  2d  New  Hampshire,  and  the  71st  New  York — and 
Captain  (afterwards  Lieutenant  Colonel)  Reynolds'  Rhode 
Island  Battery.*  This  brigade  belonged  to  a  division  under 
Colonel  (afterwards  Major  General)  David  Hunter,  and  took 
the  advance  of  the  movement  upon  Fairfax  Court  House,  by 
way  of  Annandale.  The  army,  under  General  McDowell, 
occupied  Centreville  on  the  18th.  A  reconnoissance  on  the 
same  day  developed  the  fact  that  the  enemy,  hitherto  retreat- 
ing, was  determined  to  make  a  stand  upon  the  south  side  of 
Bull  Run  and  around  his  intrenchments  at  Manassas  Junction. 
Here,  on  the  19th  and  20th,  while  General  McDowell  was 
restins  at  Centreville,  General  Johnston  from  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  joined  General  Beauregard,  and  the  enemy  judged  him- 
self in  sufficient  strength  to  deliver  battle,  which  he  was  pre- 
paring to  do  when  he  was  informed  that  General  McDowell 
was  on  the  march.. 

General  McDowell  decided  to  attack  on  the  21st,  and  at  two 
o'clock  A.  M.  of  that  day,  the  troops  were  silently  moved  out 
of  their  encampments  and  put  upon  the  march.  The  plan  was 
for  Colonel  Hunter's  division  to  make  a  flank  movement  to  the 
right  as  far  as  Sudley  Ford,  then  cross  Bull  Run,  and  march- 
ins  down  the  south  bank  of  that  stream,  unite  with  two  other 
divisions,  under  the  command  of  General  David  Tyler  and 
Colonel  (afterwards  Major  General)  Heintzelman,  which  were  to 
cross  at  lower  fords  and  the  Stone  Bridge  on  the  turnpike,  and 
then  offer  battle  to  the  enemy.  After  considerable  delay  in 
starting,  on  the  part  of  the  leading  division,  (General  Tyler's,) 


*  Afterwards    known    as    Battery  A,    1st    K.  I.  L.  A.,  and  distinguished 
throughout'  the  war  for  most  gallant  and  effective  service. 


16  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [JULY, 

the  flank  movement  was  made,  with  Colonel  Burnside's  brigade 
in  advance.  The  route  lay  along  the  Warrenton  Turnpike  as 
far  as  a  point  just  beyond  Cub  Run,  when  it  turned  to  the  right 
towards  Sudley  Ford.  General  Tyler's  division  was  to  con- 
tinue on  the  turnpike  and  cross  Stone  Bridge.  Colonel  Heint- 
zelman's  was  to  follow  Colonel  Hunter  for  a  short  distance,  and 
then  go  down  to  the  run  and  cross  at  a  ford  above  the  bridge. 
The  road  was  scarcely  more  than  a  wood  path,  across  which 
many  trees  had  fallen.  Delayed  by  the  removal  of  these  ob- 
structions, the  column  was  occupied  five  or  six  hours  in  doing 
the  work  of  three. 

It  was  half  past  nine  o'clock  when  the  skirmishers  of  the  2d 
Rhode  Island  in  advance  crossed  Sudley  Ford,  and  immediately 
after,  the  enemy,  who  had  been  forewarned  and  had  gathered  a 
considerable  force,  opened  upon  the  head  of  the  column  with 
round  shot  and  shell.  Our  troops  responded  briskly,  Colonel 
Burnside  soon  formed  his  brigade  in  line  of  battle,  and  ad- 
vanced to  meet  the  foe.  The  battle  raged  with  great  fury  in 
this  quarter  for  two  or  three  hours.  The  enemy  concentrated 
at  this  point  all  his  forces,  with  the  exception  of  two  brigades, 
near  Union  Mills  and  Blackburn's  Ford,  and  was  determined 
to  break  our  lines  if  possible.  But  our  leading  brigade  firmly 
held  its  ground  until  its  supports  had  come  up,  and  even  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  the  enemy  from  his  strong  position.  Colonel 
(afterwards  Lieutenant  General)  Wm.  T.  Sherman  came  on 
from  Stone  Bridge  with  his  brigade,  crossing  his  troops  by  a 
ford  above  the  bridge.  Colonel  Heintzelman,  with  his  division, 
followed  Hunter,  not  having  been  able  to  find  the  ford  at 
which  he  was  to  cross  the  run,  and  participated  gallantly  in  the 
conflict  on  the  extreme  right  of  our  line. 

By  two  o'clock,  the  enemy  was  beaten  back  at  all  points. 
Several  of  his  best  officers  had  been  killed  or  wounded.  By 
three,  a  part  of  his  forces  were  retreating,  broken  and  demoral- 
ized, towards  Manassas.  Colonel  (afterwards  Lieutenant  Gen- 
eral) T.  J  Jackson,  with  a  fine  brigade  of  Virginia  troops, 
seemed  to  be  the  only  man  in  the  rebel  army  who  was  deter- 


1861]  FIRST   RHODE    ISLAND    REGIMENT.  17 

mined  to  hold  his  ground  at  all  hazards,  and  all  our  attacks 
upon  him  were  unavailing.  "  See  how  like  a  stone  wall  Jack- 
son's troops  stand,"  cried  some  one, — and  the  sobriquet  of 
"  Stonewall "  was  thenceforward  fixed  upon  the  gallant  sol- 
dier. 

At  half  past  three  o'clock,  fresh  reinforcements  for  the  enemy, 
under  General  W  Kirby  Smith,  arrived  from  the  Shenandoah 
Valley,  and  attacked  our  lines  upon  the  right  flank  with  great 
energy.  Heintzelman's  division  was  at  once  broken.  Two 
batteries  of  our  artillery — Griffin's  and  Ricketts' — were  over- 
powered, their  supports  fled,  and  the  pieces  fell  into  the  ene- 
mv's  hands.*  Captain  Reynolds  succeeded  in  drawing  his 
guns  off  from  the  field  unharmed,  but  both  Captains  Griffin 
and  Ricketts  lost  all  their  pieces.  Colonel  Orlando  B.  Will- 
cox,  in  command  of  a  brigade  in  Heintzelman's  division,  and 
other  officers  were  taken  prisoners.  Colonels  Slocum  of  Rhode 
Island,  Cameron  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  considerable  number 
of  officers  of  a  lower  grade  were  killed  or  mortally  wounded. 
The  army  was  somewhat  disorganized.  The  troops,  though 
without  food,  and  suffering;  much  from  the  heat,  had  marched 
well  and  fought  well ;  but  they  were  not  able  to  stand  against 
the  unexpected  onset  of  the  enemy's  reinforcements.  General 
McDowell,  seeing  that  the  battle  was  going  against  him,  or- 
dered a  retreat.  It  proved  to  be  the  worst  possible  order  for 
volunteer  troops  in  their  first  engagement.  The  fortunes  of 
the  day  were  immediately  and  irremediably  changed.  Had 
our  troops  been  directed  to  rally  after  their  first  surprise,  and 
to  hold  their  ground,  they  could  easily  have  repulsed  the  last 
rebel  attack,  and  have  sent  the  enemy  panic-stricken  beyond 
Manassas.    But  the  word  "  retreat "  had  then  an  ominous  sound. 


*  The  loss  of  these  pieces,  which  decided  the  issue  of  the  action,  is  said  to 
have  been  caused  by  the  mistake  of  Colonel  W.  F.  Barry,  Chief  of  Artillery, 
who,  standing  by  Captain  Griffin's  battery  at  the  time  of  the  enemy's  advance, 
supposed  that  the  new  troops  were  our  own  and  would  not  permit  our  artille- 
rists to  open  on  them.  The  guns  were  turned  away,  the  enemy  coolly  de- 
ployed at  short  range,  opened  a  volley  of  musketry,  made  a  sudden  rush,  scat- 
tered the  inf»ntry  support,  and  captured  the  battery. 

3 


18  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH   CAROLINA.  -v      [July, 

The  army  soon  fell  into  utter  disorder,  and  the  broken  and  dis- 
organized mass  poured  along  the  roads  in  disgraceful  flight. 
The  retreat  soon  became  a  rout.  Colonel  Burnside  rallied  his 
brigade  just  across  the  run,  and,  with  the  aid  of  Captain  Ar- 
nold's battery  and  Major  Sykes's  battalion  of  regulars,  covered 
the  retreat  along  the  forest  road,  and  saved  the  army  from  utter 
destruction.  General  Tyler's  division  had  already  retreated 
along  the  turnpike.  The  army  reached  Centreville  soon  after 
dark,  but  in  such  a  demoralized  condition/that  it  could  not  be 
held,  and  the  entire  command  was  ordered  to  Washington. 

Colonel  Burnside's  brigade  rested  in  its  camp  at  Centreville 
for  three  or  four  hours,  marched  during  the  remainder  of  the 
night,  was  gathered  near  Long  Bridge  in  the  morning,  and  the 
several  regiments  of  which  it  was  composed  returned  to  their 
encampments  in  Washington  during  the  forenoon  of  the  22d. 

The  battle  of  Bull  Run  has  given  rise  to  much  discussion. 
It  was  the  first  battle  of  the  war,  and  attracted  great  attention. 
It  is  universally  conceded  that  General  McDowell  planned  the 
movement  skilfully.  Had  it  been  carried  out  according  to  the 
order,  we  should  have  won  a  great  success.  But  seAeral  cir- 
cumstances occurred  to  prevent.  The  importance  of  punctu- 
ality has  never  been  recognized  at  any  time  during  the  war. 
It  certainly  was  not  considered  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  of 
July.  The  leading  division  ought  to  have  been  across  Cub 
Run  at  the  time  it  was  moving  out  of  its  camp.  The  two 
hours'  delay  was  fatal.  Another  unfortunate  circumstance 
was  Colonel  Heintzelman's  inability  to  reach  the  ford  at  which 
he  was  ordered  to  cross.  Still  another  was  the  order  in  which 
our  troops  were  sent  into  the  battle,  not  by  brigades  but 
regiment  by  regiment.  Still  another  was  the  distance  of  our 
reserves  from  the  field  of  battle,  and  their  inactivity.  But 
most  of  all  was  the  failure  of  General  Patterson  to  hold  Gen- 
eral Johnston  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  while  General  Mc- 
Dowell forced  General  Beauregard  out  of  Manassas,  as  could 
easily  have  been  done.     This  entire  subject  has  been  considered 


1861.]  FIRST   RHODE    ISLAND   REGIMENT.  19 

in  another  volume,  to  which  the  reader  curious  in  such  mat- 
ters is  referred.* 

The  First  Rhode  Island  Regiment,  a  few  days  after  the  bat- 
tle, was  ordered  to  Providence,  where  it  arrived  on  the  28th, 
and  was  received  with  unprecedented  enthusiasm.  Colonel 
Burnside  and  his  command  received  the  thanks  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  Rhode  Island,  and,  on  the  2d  of  August,  the  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States  service,  having 
won  for  itself  and  its  Colonel  a  proud  name  in  the  annals  of 
the  war. 


*  Campaign  of  the  First  Rhode  Island  Regiment,  pp.  74  and  following. 


20  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH   CAROLINA.  [August, 


CHAPTER    III. 

HATTERAS    INLET. 

THE  issue  of  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  had  demonstrated  the 
necessity  of  a  complete  organization  of  the  forces,  which  a 
patriotic  but  impatient  country  was  placing  in  the  field.  To 
arm,  to  equip,  and  to  organize  five  hundred  thousand  men,  who 
had  just  been  drawn  from  peaceful  pursuits,  from  farm,  work- 
shop and  counting  room,  and  to  make  of  them  an  effective  mili- 
tary force,  was  a  task  of  no  small  magnitude.  It  was  felt  that 
more  energetic  counsels  should  prevail  at  Washington  than 
had  thus  far  characterized  the  conduct  of  the  war.  A  younger 
man  was  needed  to  invigorate  the  army.  General  Scott,  an 
old  and  highly  meritorious  soldier,  was  thought  to  be — and 
thought  himself  to  be — incapacitated  for  so  arduous  a  service 
as  would  naturally  devolve  upon  a  General-in-Chief.  The 
most  prominent  of  our  younger  officers,  at  that  time,  was  Gen- 
eral George  B.  McClellan,  who  had  won  distinction  in  a  rapid 
and  brilliant  campaign  in  Western  Virginia.  He  was  called 
to  Washington,  placed  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, and  immediately  engaged  in  the  work  of  putting  that 
army  into  a  condition  fit  for  successful  operations.  The  rebel 
army  had  gradually  extended  its  posts  from  Manassas  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Washington,  till  its  advance  was  encamped 
within  sight  of  the  Capitol.  Our  own  army  was  encamped 
around  the  city,  and  a  cordon  of  forts  was  projected  and  put 
in  process  of  construction. 

Most  of  the  superior  officers  engaged  in  the  battle   of  Bull ' 
Run  had  been  promoted.     Among  these,  Colonel  Burnside  had 
been  conspicuous,  and  he  was  accordingly  appointed  a  Brigadier 


1861. J  HATTERAS    INLET.  21 

General  of  Volunteers,  his  commission  dating  August  0,  1861. 
General  McClellan  desired  his  services  in  aiding  him  to  organ- 
ize  the  army,  and  for  a  month  or  two,  General  Burnside  was 
employed  in  that  important  work.  But  it  soon  became  evident 
that  General  McClellan's  policy  was  one  of  inaction,  so  far  as 
his  own  army  was  concerned,  while  the  enemy  was  to  be  har- 
assed by  expeditions  sent  out  to  make  a  lodgment  at  different 
points  upon  the  southern  coast.  These  points  were  to  become 
the  bases  for  future  operations,  when  a  simultaneous  advance 
would  be  made  upon  the  enemy,  and  the  rebellion  would  be 
crushed  by  overwhelming  pressure  upon  all  sides.  Some  of  the 
islands  off  the  coast  of  South  Carolina  had  already  been  se- 
cured. The  coast  of  North  Carolina  was  selected  as  another 
section  to  be  occupied.  An  expedition  was  projected  to  secure 
that  important  result,  and  the  duty  of  arranging  and  carrying 
this  to  a  successful  end  was  intrusted  to  General  Burnside. 

General  Burnside  at  once  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his 
duties.  His  headquarters  were  established  in  New  York  city, 
and  the  months  of  November  and  December  were  occupied  in 
contracting  for  transportation,  in  organizing  the  troops  as- 
signed to  him,  in  procuring  arms,  ammunition,  supplies  and 
material  of  war  of  all  kinds.  The  entire  land  force  concen- 
trated at  Annapolis,  Md.  The  naval  cooperating  force  assem- 
bled at  Hampton  Roads.  General  Burnside's  personal  staff 
was  composed  of  Captain  Lewis  Richmond,  Assistant  Adjutant 
General,  Captain  Herman  Biggs,  Division  Quartermaster, 
Captains  T.  C.  Slaight  and  Charles  G.  Loring,  Jr.,  Assistant 
Quartermasters,  Captain  E.  R.  Gooodrich,  Commissary  of  Sub- 
sistence, Captains  James  F-  De  Wolf  and  William  Cutting, 
Assistant  Commissaries,  Lieutenant  D.  H.  Flagler,  Ordnance 
Officer,  Dr.  W.  H.  Church,  Division  Surgeon,  Lieutenants 
Duncan  A.  Pell  and  George  Fearing,  Aides  de  Camp. 

The  land  force  was  divided  into  three  brigades.  The  first 
was  composed  of  the  23d,  24th,  25th,  27th  Massachusetts,  and 
10th  Connecticut  regiments  of  infantry,  and  was  under  the 
command  of  Brigadier  General  John  G.  Foster.     The  second 


22  EXPEDITION    TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [Dec,  18bl. 

was  composed  of  the  6th  Xew  Hampshire,  9th  Xew  Jersey, 
21st   Massachusetts,  51st  New  York,   and  51st  Pennsylvania 
regiments  of  infantry,  and  was  under  the  command  of  Brigadier 
General  Jesse  L.  Reno.     The  third  was  composed  of  the  4th 
Rhode  Island,  Sth  and  11th  Connecticut,  53d  and  89th  Xew 
York  regiments  of  infantry,  a  battalion  of  the  5th  Rhode  Island 
infantry,  and  Battery  F,  1st  Ehode  Island  Light  Artillery,  and 
was  under  the  command  of  Brigadier  General  John  G.  Parke. 
A  naval  brio-ade,  recruited  in  Xew  York  bv  the  name  of  the 
Volunteer  Marine  Artillery,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Howard,  was  also  specially  organized  for  this  expedition.     The 
regiments  were  full,  and  the  command  numbered  twelve  thou- 
sand  strong.     For  the  transportation  of  the  troops  and  their 
materiel,  forty-six  vessels  were  employed,  eleven  of  which  were 
steamers.    To  these  were  added  nine  armed  propellers  to  act  as 
gun-boats,  and  five  barges  fitted  and  armed  as  floating  bat- 
teries, carrying  altogether  forty-seven  guns,  mostly  of  small 
calibre.     These  formed  the  army  division  of  the  fleet,  and  were 
commanded  by  Commander  Samuel  F    Hazard.     A  fleet  of 
twenty  vessels,  of  different  sizes — mostly  of  light  draft,  for  the 
navigation  of  the  Albemarle  and  Pamlico  Sounds,  but  carry- 
ing a  heavy  armament  of  fifty-five  guns — accompanied    the 
expedition,  under  the  command  of  Flag  Officer  Louis  M.  Golds- 
borough.* 


*  The  names  of  the  vessels  composing  the  army  division  -were  as  follows: 
Picket,  4,  Captain  Thomas  P.  Ives;  Hussar,  4,  Captain  Frederick  Crocker; 
Pioneer,  4,  Captain  Charles  E.  Baker;  Yidette,  3,  Captain  John  L.Foster; 
Ranger  4,  Captain  Samuel  Emerson;  Lancer,  4,  Captain  U.  B.  Morley; 
Chasseur,  4,  Captain  John  West,  Zouave,  4,  Captain  William  Hunt;  Sentinel, 
4,  Captain  Joshua  Couillard.  The  barges  were  the  Socket,  3,  Master's  Mato 
James  Lake;  Grenade,  3,  Master's  Mate  Win.  B.Avery;  Bombshell,  2,  Mas- 
ter's Mate  Downey;  Grapeshot,  2,  Master's  Mate  X.  B.  McKean;  Shrapnel,  2, 
Master's  Mate  Ernest  Staples.  The  gunboats  of  the  naval  division  were  the 
Philadelphia,  (flagship,)  Acting  Master  Silas  Reynolds;  Stars  and  Stripes,  5, 
Lieutenant  Reed  Werden;  Louisiana,  5,  Lieutenant  A.  Murray;  Hetzel,  2, 
Lieutenant  H.  K.  Davenport;  Underwriter,  4,  Lieutenant  William  X.  Je  tiers; 
Delaware,  3,  Lieutenant  S.  P.  Quackenbusli;  Commodore  Perry,  4,  Lieutenant 
Charles  W.  Flusser;  Valley  City,  5,  Lieutenant  J.  C.  Chaplin;  Commodore 
Barney,  4,  Acting  Lieutenant  R.  T.  Renshaw;  Hunchback,  4,  Acting  Volun- 


Jan,1SH2]  HATTERAS    INLET.  23 

On  the  19th  of  December  General  Burnside  broke  up  his 
headquarters  at  Xew  York,  and  proceeded  to  Annapolis.  On 
the  morning  of  the  5th  of  January,  1862,  the  troops  com- 
menced embarking,  and  by  the  morning  of  the  8th  all  were  on 
board  the  transports.  General  Burnside  selected  the  gunboat 
Picket  as  the  flag  ship  of  the  expedition.  She  "was  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Thomas  P  Ives.  On  the  9th  and 
10th,  the  fleet  of  transports  dropped  down  Chesapeake  Bay 
and  anchored  in  Hampton  Roads.  On  the  morning  of  the 
11th.  the  Picket  came  into  the  roads  and  cast  her  anchor  un- 
der the  guns  of  Portress  Monroe.  During  the  subsequent 
night,  most  of  the  vessels  of  the  expedition  Trent  to  sea,  and  at 
10  o'clock  on  the  mornina;  of  the  12th  General  Burnside  him- 
self  sailed.  For  the  next  ten  days  no  intelligence  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  fleet  was  made  public. 

But  on  the  23d  of  January,  the  public  mind  at  the  Xorth 
was  wonderfully  excited  by  reports  of  shipwreck  and  disaster. 
It  was  supposed  at  one  time,  that  the  entire  movement  had 
proved  a  failure,  and  that  a  useless  expenditure  of  materiel, 
money,  and  men  had  been  made.  As  more  trustworthy  ac- 
counts reached  the  public  ear,  it  became  evident  that,  although 
there  had  been  extreme  peril,  yet  there  had  been  no  serious 
calamity,  and  that  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  expedition  was 
to  be  relied  upon  for  success  by  an  expectant  country.  Through 
storm  and  darkness,  he  had  ever  remained  calm,  collected,  and 
hopeful,  and  by  his  perseverance  had  won  a  victorv  over  the 
elements,  which  presaged  a  brilliant  and  triumphant  result. 

The  entire  fleet  had  been  ordered  to  rendezvous  at  Hatteras 


teer  Lieutenant  E.  R.  Colhoun;  Sonthfield,  4,  Acting  Volunteer  Lieutenant 
O.  F.  TV  Behm;  Morse,  2,  Acting  Master  Peter  Hayes;  Whitehead,  1,  Acting 
Master  Charles  A.  French;  I.  X.  Seymour,  2,  Acting  Master  G-.  TV  Graves; 
Shawsheen,  2,  Acting  Master  Thomas  G.  TVoodward;  Lockwood,  3,  Acting 
Master  C.  L.  Graves;  Ceres,  2,  Acting  Master  John  McDiarmid ;  General  Put- 
nam, 1,  Acting  Master  TV  J.  Hotehkiss;  Henry  Brinker,  1,  Acting  Master 
John  E.  Giddings;  Granite,  1,  Acting  Master's  Mate  E.  Boomer,  The  naval 
division  was  under  the  general  command  of  Commander  S.  C.  Rowan,  second 
to  the  Flag  Officer.  Most,  if  not  all  these  vessels  were  improvised  men-of-war, 
fitted  from  ferry  boats,  propellers,  river  steamboats,  canal  boats,  &c. 


24  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH   CAROLINA.         [January, 

Inlet,  preparatory  to  its  subsequent  operations.  "When  it  left 
Hampton  Roads,  the  weather  was  fine.  But  after  getting  clear 
of  the  capes  of  Virginia,  it  became  dull  and  foggy.  There 
was  much  delay  in  consequence.  The  steamers  could  make 
but  slow  progress  in  towing  the  sailing  vessels  and  barges,  and 
it  was  not  till  the  14th,  that  the  fleet  was  off  Cape  Hatteras. 
This  dread  of  mariners,  the  abode  of  storms,  was  true  to 
its  former  repute.  It  seemed  as  though  a  tempest  had  been 
lurking  behind  this  fearful  point,  ready  to  dash  out  and  sweep 
to  ruin  any  adventurous  vessel  that  should  dare  approach.  A 
few  steamers  with  their  convoy  succeeded  in  passing  safely, 
and,  making  the  inlet,  crossed  the  bar,  and  came  to  anchor  in 
the  comparatively  smooth  waters  of  Pamlico  Sound.  But  the 
remaining  vessels  of  the  fleet  were  caught  by  the  rising  storm, 
and  were  dispersed.  By  the  17th,  most  of  the  vessels  had 
made  a  harbor,  but  it  was  not  till  more  than  a  week  later,  that 
the  expedition- could  be  said  to  have  escaped  the  perils  of  the 
sea. 

For  nearly  two  weeks  a  succession  of  storms  beat  upon  the 
"  dark-ribbed  ships "  and  the  heroic  men  who  filled  them. 
There  was  scarcely  a  lull  of  more  than  two  or  three  hours  in 
duration,  and  even  then, the  sea  was  running  verv  high,  and  a 
movement  of  any  of  the  vessels  was  extremely  dangerous  to 
the  rest.  At  times,  the  sea  would  break  over  the  island  itself, 
and  the  fort  upon  its  southern  point  was  completely  isolated. 
One  or  two  regiments  managed  to  get  on  shore,  and  found  a 
precarious  shelter  beneath  their  tents.  One  steamer,  the  City 
of  New  York,  loaded  with  ammunition,  and  another,  the  Po- 
cahontas, with  horses  on  board,  went  ashore  and  were  lost. 
One  gunboat,  the  Zouave,  dragged  her  anchors,  and  stavino- 
a  hole  in  her  bottom  was  wrecked.  A  floating  battery  the 
Grapeshot,  was  swamped.  One  or  two  schooners  loaded 
with  forage  and  provisions  were  driven  upon  the  beach.  But 
fortunately,  amid  all  the  terrors  of  the  storm,  there  was  but 
little  loss  of  life.  Six  men  of  the  crew  of  one  of  the  transports 
were  drowned  in  attempting  to  reach  the  land,  and   the  vessel 


1862.]  HATTERAS   INLET.  25 

was  wrecked.  Two  officers  of  the  army,  Colonel  J.  W.  Al- 
len and  Dr.  F.  S.  "Weller,  both  belonging  to  the  9th  New 
Jersey  infantry,  were  lost  on  the  15th,  by  the  swamping  of  a 
boat  in  which  they  were  returning  from  the  flag  ship  of  the 
commanding  general  to  their  transport.  They  had  gone  on 
board,  in  company  with  others,  early  in  the  morning,  to  con- 
sult with  General  Eeno.  After  spending  an  hour  or  two  very 
agreeably,  they  left  the  ship,  went  on  board  their  boat,  and 
put  off  towards  their  own  vessel.  But  in  moving  through  the 
surf,  the  boat  was  capsized,  and  the  entire  party,  twelve  in 
number,  were  thrown  into  the  waves.  They  succeeded  how- 
ever in  clinging  to  the  boat,  and  for  half  an  hour  they  were 
in  this  perilous  position.  At  last,  the  steamer  Highlander 
came  within  hailing  distance,  sent  out  her  boats,  and  picked 
up  the  drenched  and  exhausted  men.  But  no  means  availed  to 
bring  back  to  life  the  two  insensible  officers.  They  had  passed 
away  from  earth.  Colonel  Allen  was  a  native  of  Burlington 
County,  in  New  Jersey,  had  been  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate,  and  had  acquired  considerable  reputation  as  a  civil 
engineer.  He  resided  in  Bordentown,  where  he  left  a  widow 
and  several  children.  Dr.  Weller  was  a  resident  of  Paterson, 
where  he  was  highly  esteemed  as  a  man  and  a  physician. 

The  storm,  which  had  well  nigh  proved  the  ruin  of  the  ex- 
pedition, was  the  severest  which  had  visited  that  region  for 
several  years,  and  it  burst  upon  the  fleet  at  the  very  moment 
when  it  was  capable  of  inflicting  the  greatest  injury.  Hatteras 
Inlet  is  a  passage  made  by  the  sea  breaking  across  the  narrow 
spit  of  land  which,  in  its  bolder  and  more  prominent  point,  is 
known  as  Cape  Hatteras.  The  channel,  if  so  it  might  be 
called,  is  simply  the  place  where  the  water,  for  the  time,  hap- 
pens to  be  deepest.  Outside  the  island,  at  the  entrance  of  the 
inlet  from  the  ocean,  is  a  bar,  and  just  inside  the  island,  where 
the  waters  of  the  inlet  meet  those  of  the  Sound,  there  is  another 
bar.  The  channel  between  the  two,  in  the  vernacular  of  that 
section,  is  called  the  "  swash."  As  the  bottom  is  loose  and 
sandy,  its  depth  varies,  at  different  times,  from  five  to  nine 
4 


26  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [JaijtxabY, 

feet,  according  to  the  force  of  the  winds  and  the  current.  The 
tide  rises  but  a  few  feet.  The  inlet  is  scarcely  over  a  mile 
wide,  and  at  the  entrance  of  the  Sound,  is  the  bar  or  "  bulk- 
head," on  which  the  water,  in  the  height  of  the  tide,  can  be  no 
more  than  six  or  eight  feet  deep*.  Beyond  the  point,  a  slight 
curve  in  the  shore  makes  a  small  harbor.  In  the  Sound  itself, 
there  is  sufficient  water  to  float  in  safety  vessels  of  considera- 
ble draft  and  tonnage.  It  is  in  general  about  twenty  feet  in 
depth,  but  abounds  in  shoals,  which  render  its  navigation 
somewhat  difficult  and  dangerous.  Into  the  narrow  passage 
called  Hatteras  Inlet,  and  immediately  beyond,  the  storm  had 
driven  over  one  hundred  vessels  of  different  sizes.  Some  were 
found  too  large  and  of  too  great  draft  of  water  to  pass  through 
the  shallow  channel.  The  anchorage  was  uncertain.  Even 
before  their  arrival,  the  vessels  had  been  considerably  shaken 
by  the  heavy  weather.  They  were,  moreover,  filled  to  their 
utmost  capacity,  with  troops,  many  of  whom  had  never  before 
sailed  a  mile  upon  the  ocean,  and  were  overcome  by  seasick- 
ness. Crowded  into  this  narrow  and  uncomfortable  anchoring 
place,  which  could  hardly  be  called  a  harbor  except  by  an 
extreme  stretch  of  courtcsv,  with  no  secure  ground  to  catch 
the  anchors,  the  vessels  were  forced  about  by  the  wind  in  a 
most  uncomfortable  and  vexatious  manner.  It  was  no  uncom- 
mon thing  for  hawsers  to  become  entangled,  for  schooners, 
brigs,  and  steamboats  to  fall  foul  of  each  other,  for  the  bow- 
sprit of  a  sailing  vessel  to  run  itself  unceremoniously  through 
a  steamer's  saloon,  or  for  a  gunboat  to  come  drifting  along, 
threatening  destruction  to  some  poor  defenceless  shell  of  a 
transport.  It  was  indeed  providential  that  the  inhospitable 
shores  of  Hatteras  were  not  thickly  strewn  with  the  wrecks  of 
vessels,  the  bodies  of  men,  and  the  debris  of  an  expedition 
which  had  been  fitted  out  with  a  generous  expenditure  of 
money  and  with  every  material  of  war. 

The  officers  of  the  navy,  on  their  part,  did  all  that  could  be 

*"  Scarcely  an  inch  more  than  seven  and  a  half  feet,"  says  Flag  Officer  C   1 
borough. 


1862.]  HATTERAS    INLET.  27 

reasonably  expected.  Commander  Rowan  was  especially  ac- 
tive in  this  respect.  From  the  beginning  of  operations  in 
North  Carolina  till  the  end,  the  most  cordial  relations  existed 
between  the  army  and  the  navy.  The  officers  of  each  arm  of 
the  service  seemed  to  vie  with  those  of  the  other  in  doing  all 
that  could  be  done  for  the  promotion  of  their  country's  cause. 
No  feeling  of  jealousy  ever  showed  itself,  for  none  was  pro- 
voked. The  Flag  Officer  and  his  subordinates  were  ready  to 
aid  the  transport  fleet  in  this  emergency  to  the  extent  of  their 
power.  But,  of  necessity,  they  could  not  accomplish  a  great 
deal.  Their  own  vessels  required  their  constant  supervision 
and  care.  It  is  true,  that  they  had  none  of  that  narrowness  of 
opinion  which  sometimes  induces  one  to  feel  that  he  has  no 
responsibility  beyond  the  strictest  line  of  his  own  duty,  and 
no  inclination  to  go  beyond  the  established  routine  of  his  life ; 
but  they  were  compelled,  by  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  to 
pay  more  attention  to  their  own  ships  than  to  the  army  trans- 
ports. With  the  most  willing  disposition,  the  ability  was 
lacking.  Gunboats  and  transports  were  in  equal  peril,  and 
demanded  the  vigilance  and  faithful  service  of  every  officer 
and  man. 

General  Burnside,  therefore,  was  obliged  to  act  the  part  of 
Admiral  as  well  as  General,  and  to  manage  his  great  fleet  of 
transports  and  supply-vessels  as  best  he  could.  With  no  ex- 
perience at  sea,  he  suddenly  found  himself  called  upon  to  per- 
form the  duties  of  a  skillful  navigator  at  a  time  when  the  sailor 
is  compelled  to  summon  up  all  his  resources.  All.  accounts 
agree  that  General  Burnside  proved  himself  to  be  fully  equal 
to  the  trying  occasion,  and  was  completely  master  of  the  situa- 
tion. He  was  indefatigable,  unwearied,  ubiquitous.  Generals 
Foster,  Reno,  and  Parke  gave  him  their  ablest  assistance,  and 
were  always  ready  with  counsel  and  help.  The  commanders 
of  regiments,  and  indeed  all  the  officers  and  men  behaved  in  a 
manner  beyond  all  praise,  and  performed  the  duties  and  bore 
the  extraordinary  burdens  of  the  time  with  great  fidelity  and 


28  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [JANTXAKY, 

fortitude.  They  saw  in  their  commanding  general  an  example 
of  patience  and  hopefulness  which  they  were  glad  to  imitate. 

A  correspondent  of  the  London  News,  who  accompanied  the 
expedition,  published  at  the  time  a  very  graphic  account  of 
the  storm  off  Hatteras  and  in  the  Inlet,  and,  in  the  course  of 
his  narrative,  took  occasion  to  speak  of  the  commanding  gen- 
eral in  very  warm  terms  of  commendation.  "  Bravely  we 
breasted  on  in  our  little  boat,"  he  wrote,  "  staggering  beneath 
the  giant  blows  of  each  successive  sea,  our  decks  swept  fore 
and  aft,  and  all  on  board  reeling  from  side  to  side  like  drunken 
men.  One  figure  stood  immovable,  grasping  by  the  bitts, 
scanning  the  horizon  for  traces  of  ships,  as  we  rose  on  each 
glittering  mass  of  foam.  It  was  the  square,  manly  form  of 
General  Burnside,  whose  anxiety  for  the  fate  of  his  army  was 
intense."  After  speaking  of  the  manner  in  which  the  general 
bore  himself  in  the  storm,  he  adds  :  "  He  has  performed  all 
the  duties  of  a  harbor  master,  narrowly  escaping  being 
swamped  on  more  than  one  occasion,  and  there  is  not  a  grade 
in  his  army  that  he  has  not  filled  during  the  last  fortnight,  so 
anxious  is  he  for  the  well  being  and  comfort  of  his  troops." 

This  community  of  danger,  and  the  courage  and  skill  with 
which  the  emergency  was  met  and  its  duties  performed  by  all 
parties,  endeared  the  officers  and  men  to  each  other  more 
closely  than  a  well  fought  and  victorious  battle  could  have 
done.  The  troops  gave  to  their  commander  their  entire  con- 
fidence, regard,  and  admiration,  and  they  were  ready  to  go 
with  enthusiasm  to  meet  any  danger  to  which  lie  led  the  way. 
It  was  with  grateful  hearts  that,  when  on  the  '2f>th  of  January, 
the  storm  finally  broke,  and  calm  weather  came  again,  they 
felt  that  they  had  a  leader  whose  hopefulness  and  patience  even 
the  elements  could  not  subdue,  and  whom  they  could  implicitly 
trust.  He  also  was  glad  to  feel  that  he  had  a  command  will- 
ing, eager,  and  able  to  accomplish  every  result  that  he  could 
reasonably  wish.  Fortunate  was  the  storm  in  the  revelation 
of  character  which  it  had  so  fully  made  ! 


1862.] 


ROANOKE   ISLAND,   AND   ITS   CAPTURE.  29 


CHAPTER    IV 

ROANOKE    ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE. 

WHEN  a  coastwise  expedition  was  first  projected,  Gen- 
eral McClellan's  plan  was  to  operate  with  about  ten 
thousand  men,  "  in  the  inlets  of  Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  Po- 
tomac, in  conjunction  with  a  naval  force  operating  against 
points  on  the  sea  coast."  This  expedition  was  to  be  composed 
mostly  of  New  England  regiments,  as  it  was  thought  that  the 
men  of  these  regiments  would  be  conversant  with  boat-service, 
the  management  of  steamers  and  sailing  vessels,  barges, 
launches,  floating  batteries,  and  the  like.  These  regiments 
were  "  to  be  uniformed  and  equipped  as  the  Rhode  Island " 
troops  were — an  expressive  testimonial  to  the  sagacity  of  Gen- 
eral Burnside,  who  had  first  suggested  the  pattern  of  the  Rhode 
Island  uniform.  The  expedition  thus  prepared  was  to  form  an 
integral  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  General  Burnside 
was  conversant  with  General  McClellan's  plan,  and  when  he 
was  first  selected  to  lead  the  enterprise,  it  was  with  the  under- 
standing that  the  force  would  not  pass  beyond  the  Virginia 
capes.  The  plan  was  submitted  to  the  War  Department  on 
the  6th  of  September.  On  the  1st  of  November,  General  Scott 
was  relieved  of  his  command,  and  General  McClellan  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place  as  General-in-Chief  of  the  Armies  of  the 
United  States.  After  General  Burnside  had  proceeded,  to  a 
considerable  extent,  in  perfecting  his  arrangements,  the  plan  of 
operations  was  very  essentially  changed.  General  McClellan, 
late  in  the  autumn,  decided  to  increase  the  force  to  be  sent, 
and  to  order  it  to  the  coast  of  North  Carolina.  A  change  in 
the  plan  necessitated  considerable  delay.     A  larger  naval  force, 


30  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH  CAROLINA.  [JANTJAKT, 

an  augmentation  of  supplies,  more  transportation  became  need- 
ful. Thus  it  happened  that  the  remarkably  fine  weather  that 
characterized  the  autumn  and  early  winter  of  1861,  slipped 
away,  and  that  the  expedition  did  not  start  till  so  late  a  pe- 
riod as  to  be  caught  by  the  wintry  storms  which  howl  around 
the  "  ship  breaking"  Hatteras.  Escaped  from  these,  General 
Burnside  set  himself  to  obey  the  further  instructions  of  his 
general-in-chief. 

Those  instructions  contemplated,  in  the  first  place,  the  form- 
ation of  the  Department  of  North  Carolina,  carrying  with  it, 
of  course,  the  command  of  the  garrison  of  Hatteras  Island. 
Afterwards,  General  Burnside  was  to  make  Roanoke  Island 
and  its  dependencies  his  first  point  of  attack.  It  was  pre- 
sumed that  the  navy  could  reduce  the  batteries  on  the  shore, 
and  cover  the  landing  of  troops  on  the  main  island,  by  which, 
in  connection  with  a  rapid  movement  of  the  gunboats  to  the 
northern  extremity,  it  was  hoped  that  the  entire  garrison  of  the 
place  would  be  captured.  Roanoke  Island  was  then  to  be  for- 
tified, and  a  sufficient  force  left  to  guard  its  defences.  Imme- 
diately subsequent  to  these  operations,  the  naval  force  coope- 
rating, a  descent  was  to  be  made  upon  Newbern,  "  having 
gained  possession  of  which,  and  the  railroad  passing  through 
it,"  General  Burnside  was  "  to  throw  a  sufficient  force  upon 
Beaufort,  and  take  the  steps  necessary  to  reduce  Fort  Macon 
and  open  that  port."  The  railroad  west  of  Newbern  was  also 
to  be  seized  "  as  far  west  as  Goldsborough,  should  circum- 
stances  favor  such  a  movement."  Raleigh  was  also  to  be 
threatened,  if  not  occupied  ;  but  in  this  last  named  movement, 
"  great  caution  "  was  advised.  "  Having  accomplished  the 
objects  mentioned,  the  next  point  of  interest  would  probably  be 
Wilmington,  the  reduction  of  which  "  might  require  additional 
means.  Surely  here  was  work  enough  for  a  long  campaign  and 
a  large  number  of  troops.  To  penetrate  to  Goldsborough  and 
Raleigh  with  a  few  thousand  men,  one  battery  of  b>ht  artillery 

and,  an  amphibious  kind  of  force  of  a  few  hundred   men the 

Marine  Artillery — which  had  been  added  to  the  expedition 


1862.]  ROANOKE    ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  31 

was  madness.  The  rebels  had  large  armies  in  the  field,  and 
Goldsborough  was  an  important  railroad  junction.  To  sup- 
port such  a  movement,  it  was  General  McClellan's  intention  to 
send  an  army,  under  General'  Buell,  by  rapid  marches  upon 
Cumberland  Gap  and  Knoxville,  in  East  Tennessee.  General 
Butler  was  to  reduce  the  forts  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  cap- 
ture, and  occupy  New  Orleans.  General  T.  W  Sherman  was 
to  bombard  Fort  Pulaski,  compel  its  surrender,  and  "  to 
study  the  problem  "  of  capturing  Fort  Sumter  and  Charleston. 
Meanwhile,  it  was  hoped  that  these  movements  would  distract 
the  attention  of  the  rebel  leaders,  and  scatter  their  forces  in  an 
attempt  to  prevent  the  occupation  of  the  various  points  by  our 
armies.  Then  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  would  move  with 
overwhelming  force  upon  Richmond.  General  McClellan  was 
a  man  of  large  plans,  but  with  little  facility  of  execution.  In 
connection  with  the  movement  upon  Goldsborough  and  Ra- 
leigh,  those  upon  Knoxville  and  Richmond  were  most  import- 
ant and  necessary.  General  Buell  was  entrusted  with  the  one, 
but  succeeded  only  partially.  A  portion  of  his  forces  marched 
through  Kentucky  and  seized  Cumberland  Gap.  But  the 
occupation  of  this  point  was  only  temporary,  and  no  advance 
was  made  beyond  it.  The  dispositions  of  the  enemy  during 
the  summer  of  1862,  soon  forced  its  evacuation.  General  Mc- 
Clellan undertook  the  other  movement,  and  the  Peninsular 
campaign  of  1862  has  become  the  synonym  of  delay  and  dis- 
aster. It  is  a  curious  fact  in  the  history  of  the  war,  that,  two 
years  after  the  date  of  the  present  operations,  upon  General 
Burnside  himself  was  devolved  the  duty  of  occupying  Knox- 
ville, and  performing  a  movement  which  should  have  been  co- 
operative with  his  campaign  in  North  Carolina.  Had  as  much 
zeal  and  energy  been  displayed  in  other  quarters  as  in  this, 
the  year  1862  would  have  borne  a  glorious  record  of  victory. 
But  after  the  first  temporary  success,  an  unaccountable  apathy 
seems  to  have  vitiated  the  counsels  and  checked  the  action  of 
government,  army,  and  people.     Was  it  that  the  defeat  of  our 


32  EXPEDITION   TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.         [Jabtjaey, 

material  forces  was  needed  to  prepare  the  country  for  the  moral 
triumphs  of  the  war  ? 

Immediately  upon  the  arrival  of  General  Burnside  at  Hatteras 
Inlet,  he  issued  an  order  assuming  command  of  the  newly  con- 
stituted Department  of  Xorth  Carolina.     General  Thomas  "Wil- 
liams had  command  of  the  troops  at  Hatteras.  which  had  been 
stationed  there  to  hold   the   point   against  the   enemy  s   forces 
which  had  concentrated  at  Roanoke  Island.     The  importance 
of  General  Butler   and   Flag   Officer   Stringham  s  operations 
during  the  preceding  season  had  now  appeared.     Two  regi- 
ments of  infantry,  the  9th  -New  York  and  48th  Pennsylvania, 
and  one  company,  C,  of  the  1st  United  States  Artillery,  occu- 
pied Forts  Clark  and  Hatteras  and   the   neighboring   parts  of 
the  island.     Beyond   this,  the  Department  of  Xorth  Carolina 
was  only  upon  the  decks   of  the  vessels   which   had  cast  their 
anchors  in  Pamlico  Sound.     General  Bumshle's  first  care  was 
to  enlarge  the  boundaries  of  his  command,  and  establish  him- 
self securely  upon  the  land.     Losing  not  a  moment,  after  get- 
ting his  transports   and   gunboats  through  the  swash  and  over 
the   bulkhead,    he   prepared  to  obey  his    instructions,    which 
contemplated  an  attack  upon   the  enemy's  works  on  Roanoke 
Island  and  the  neighboring   shore.     There  were   known  to  be 
several  forts  on  the  island,  both  near  the  Sound  and  in  the  in- 
terior.    It  was  also  known  that  the  enemy  had  a  small  fleet'  of 
gunboats  in  those  waters,  cooperating  with  his   land   forces  in 
the  defence  of  the  island.     To  our  navy  was  intrusted  the  work 
of  reducing  the   shore   batteries   and  scattering  or  destroying 
the  rebel  fleet,  while  the  army  should  land,  push  into  the  inte- 
rior of  the  island,  and  carry  the  enemy's  works  wherever  they 
could  be  found. 

How  could  the  troops  be  landed  ?  Where  was  the  best 
point  for  debarkation  ?  These  were  questions  that  demanded 
considerable  thought  and  discussion.  They  were  happily 
solved  by  an  unexpected  reinforcement  of  intelligence  from 
Roanoke  Island  itself.  A  short  time  before  the  expedition 
arrived  at  the  inlet,  a  negro  boy,  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of 


■  [   rc 

,5 


H       J  P  1   -  ■ 


v  "=; 


1 f  '  t 


if"  k  ■  :iii 


I  i'i 


1862.]  ROANOKE   ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  33 

age,  came  into  the  camp  of  our  troops  at  Hatteras.  He 
proved  to  be  a  bright,  intelligent  lad,  had  escaped  from  his 
master,  a  Mr.  Robinson  who  lived  on  Roanoke  Island,  and 
sought  protection  from  our  forces.  His  name,  he  said,  was 
"  Tom."  General  Williams  chanced  to  hear  of  him,  and,  wish- 
ing for  information,  questioned  him  and  ascertained  that  he 
had  something  of  real  value  to  communicate.  When  General 
Burnside  arrived,  General  Williams  sent  Tom  on  board  the 
flag  ship.  General  Burnside  had  a  long  interview  with  the 
escaped  slave.  Tom  knew  all  about  Roanoke  and  the  forts  and 
forces  there.  There  was  one  strong  battery  about  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  island.  There  were  two  or  three  others  at  different 
points.  There  were  infantry  and  artillery  on  the  island.  There 
were  the.  "  Overland  Greys,"  "Yankee  Killers,"  "  Sons  of 
Liberty,"  "Jackson  Avengers,"  "  O.  K.  Boys,"  from  North 
Carolina,  and  some,  with  a  more  respectable  name,  from  Vir- 
ginia— altogether  a  pretty  formidable  arfay.  Did  Tom  know 
of  a  good  landing  place  ?  "  Oh,  yes  ;  at  Ashby's  Harbor, 
about  two  miles  below  Pork  Point."  Tom  knows  all  about  it, 
has  lived  not  far  from  the  harbor,  has  been  there  many  a  time, 
and  will  gladly  go  there  with  the  troops  and  show  them  the 
way.  Up  from  the  harbor  is  a  pretty  good  road  to  the  place 
where  the  rebel  battery  is.  The  troops  will  march  up  there, 
drive  the  enemy  out,  and  take  the  shore  batteries  in  reverse. 

Here  was  an  important  auxiliary.  Tom's  information  was 
particularly  valuable.  The  boy  was  immediately  taken  care 
of,  and  made  to  feel  that  he  was  no  longer  a  slave.  Captain 
Richmond  took  charge  of  him,  and  found  him,  during  the  cam- 
paign, faithful  and  true  in  every  respect.  The  very  important 
facts  which  he  imparted  were  of  the  greatest  service,  and  most 
materially  aided  in  accomplishing  the  success  of  the  movement. 
He  was  a  quick-witted  and  bright  boy,  and  he  was  observed 
afterwards  in  the  general's  quarters  at  Falmouth,  conning  over 
a  spelling-book  of  which  he  had  possessed  himself,  and  steadily 
engaged,  at  every  leisure  moment,  in  learning  to  read. 

Roanoke  Island,  which  was  the  object  of  General  Burnside's 
5 


34  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.         [JanuAKY, 

first  attack,  is  an  island  about  twelve  miles  long  from  north 
to  south,  and  three  miles  broad,  occupying  a  commanding  po- 
sition in  the  dividing  waters  between  Pamlico  and  Albemarle 
Sounds.  Of  Pamlico,  we  were  already  in  possession,  and 
could,  at  any  time,  have  occupied  any  of  the  towns  upon  its 
shores.  But  to  do  this,  leaving  Roanoke  Island  in  our  rear, 
would  have  manifestly  been  a  useless  and  very  dangerous 
work.  Roanoke  Island,  moreover,  commanded  the  approaches 
to  Norfolk  from  the  North  Carolina  side.  It  was  an  outpost 
of  Norfolk,  indeed,  and  had  been  fortified  by  the  rebels  with 
considerable  care  and  skill.  A  long  narrow  spit  of  sand  lies 
beyond  Roanoke,  breaking  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic.  Be- 
tween this  and  the  island  is  a  narrow,  shallow  sound,  not  nav- 
igable by  gunboats  of  any  great  size.  Across  this  spit,  at  a 
point  about  opposite  the  middle  of  Roanoke  Island,  the  sea 
had  at  some  time  broken  through  and  formed  an  inlet,  which 
had  afterwards  closed.  A  little  hillock  of  sand,  marking  the 
place,  is  called  Nag's  Head.  Further  to  the  northern  extrem- 
ity, the  sea  had  forced  another  passage,  which  is  called  Curri- 
tuck Inlet.  Beyond  this  was  still  another  long,  narrow  neck 
of  land,  which,  at  the  north,  opens  upon  the  main  land,  and 
thence  to  Norfolk  the  way  was  comparatively  unobstructed. 
Roanoke  Island  was,  then,  a  position  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  the  enemy.  Its  reduction  and  occupation  would  give  us 
the  undisputed  command  of  Albemarle  Sound,  and  would  be 
a  perpetual  menace  to  Norfolk.  The  occupation  of  the  de- 
bouches, and  the  entire  line  of  the  Dismal  Swamp  and  Albe- 
marle and  Chesapeake  Canals,  which  was  conteniplated  by  the 
instructions  of  General  McClellan,  would  give  to  our  army  an 
easy  communication  with  Hampton  Roads. 

To  protect  this  important  place,  the  enemy  had  erected  no 
less  than  five  earthworks  of  different  size,  and  defended,  for 
the  most  part,  by  heavy  ordnance.  Three  of  these  were  built 
at  different  points  upon  the  western  shore  of  the  island  most 
suitable  for  defence.  One  was  built  in  the  interior  of  the 
island  upon  rising  land — the  highest  point — and  was  the  key 


1862.]  ROANOKE   ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  35 

to  the  position.  Upon  the  main  land  opposite,  were  other 
batteries,  and  in  the  channel  of  Croatan  Sound,  near  the  south- 
ernmost work,  piles  were  driven  and  hulks  were  sunken,  to 
form  a  barricade  for  the  prevention  of  the  near  approach  of  any- 
hostile  fleet  to  the  land.  The  position  of  the  barricade  was 
immediately  within  range  of  the  heavy  guns  mounted  upon  the 
lower  forts.  The  batteries  on  the  shore  were  to  be  silenced 
by  the  navy,  while  the  troops  were  landing.  But  the  barri- 
cade might  prove  to  be  a  very  serious  obstruction  to  the  naval 
operations.  Lurking  behind  the  barricade  in  the  channel,  the 
enemy  had  a  fleet  of  eight  small  steamers.  The  names  of  the 
earthworks,  beginning  with  that  on  Pork  Point — the  first  en- 
countered— are  mentioned  as  Ports  Bartow,  mounting  ten  guns, 
in  casement ;  Blanchard,  four  guns,  en  barbette ;  Huger,  at 
Weir's  Point,  about  three  miles  above  Bartow,  thirteen  guns, 
in  embrasures ;  Shallowbag  Bay  Fort,  a  small  earthwork, 
mounting  two  guns  on  pivot ;  the  Centre  Redoubt,  command- 
ing the  causeway  through  the  marshy  land  to  the  solid  ground 
of  the  island,  three  guns,  en  barbette,  and  Port  Porrest,  eight 
guns,  at  Eedstone  Point,  on  the  main  land  of  North  Carolina. 
The  barricade  of  piles  and  sunken  vessels  ex  tended  from  Fort 
Bartow  to  Fort  Forrest,  entirely  across  the  Sound.  The  forts 
were  armed  mostly  with  smooth  bore  o2-pounders.  The  island 
was  held  by  three  regiments,  reenforced  on  the  day  of  battle 
by  two  regiments  and  two  battalions — among  which  was  the 
company  once  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  Virginia  Militia,  as 
the  "  Richmond  Blues,"  under  the  command  of  Captain  O. 
Jennings  Wise.  The  entire  garrison  was  under  the  command 
of  Brigadier  General  Henry  A.  Wise,  with  headquarters  at 
Nag's  Head,  who  acted  under  the  orders  of  Major  General  B. 
C.  Hill,  commanding  the  Department.  At  the  time  of  the 
action,  General  Wise  was  not  upon  the  island,  and  the  com- 
mand devolved  upon  Colonel  Henry  M.  Shaw,  of  the  8th 
North  Carolina  Volunteers.  That  the  garrison  was  brave, 
even  to  desperation,  was  amply  proved  by  the  gallant  but  una- 
vailing resistance  which  they  made  to  our  determined  troops. 


36  EXPEDITION  TO  NORTH   CAROLINA.       [Febbuaky, 

Early  in  February,  signs  of  immediate  action  were  visible. 
The  6th  New  Hampshire,  the  11th  Connecticut,  and  the  Rhode 
Island  battery  had  been  landed  on  the  17th  of  January,  and 
with  the  48th  Pennsylvania  and  the  9th  New  York,  (Zouaves,) 
had  formed  the  command  of  General  Williams  on  Hattei'as 
Island.  Of  these,  the  9th  New  York,  Colonel  R.  C.  Hawkins, 
was  selected  to  accompany  the  expedition  to  Roanoke.  The 
others  remained  at  Hatteras.  The  53d  New  York  Regiment 
(the  D'Epineuil  Zouaves)  had  been  ordered  back  to  Fortress 
Monroe,  after  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  at  Hatteras  Inlet. 
With  these  exceptions,  the  force  designed  to  attack  Roanoke 
Island  was  the  same  that  had  sailed  from  Annapolis.  On  the 
evening  of  the  4th  of  February,  General  Burnside  announced 
to  Flag  Officer  Goldsborough  that  the  army  was  ready  to 
move,  and  orders  were  accordingly  issued  to  the  fleet  to  get 
under  way  on  the  following  morning.  All  hearts  beat  high 
with  expectation.  A  seven  days'  moon  shone  softly  down 
upon  the  now  placid  waters  of  Pamlico,  and  the  air  was  vocal 
with  song  and  cheerful  talk  that  passed  from  ship  to  ship  as 
the  vessels  swung  idly  at  their  anchors.  General  Burnside 
with  his  brigade  commanders  sought  the  flagship,  and  in  con- 
sultation with  Flag  Officer  Goldsborough  and  his  officers,  ar- 
ranged the  details  of  the  morrow's  enterprise. 

The  morning  of  the  5th  is  clear,  with  a  fresh,  cold  breeze 
from  the  north.  At  seven  o'clock,  the  army  transports  begin 
to  move,  and  by  eleven  o'clock,  after  considerable  manoeuver- 
ing  for  stations,  the  entire  armada  is  on  its  way.  Disaster, 
shipwreck,  and  storm  are  left  behind,  the  sun  shines  brightly, 
flags,  pennants,  signals  are  floating  gaily  on  the  mornino-  air, 
hope  animates  every  heart,  and  victory,  glory  and  a  nation's 
gratitude  are  in  the  near  and  now  brilliant  prospect.  During 
that  day,  the  fleet  slowly  makes  it  way  along  through  the 
waters  of  Pamlico,  until,  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  it  ap- 
proaches the  narrow  channel  of  Croatan  Sound.  At  half  past 
four  o'clock,  the  outline  of  Roanoke  Island  is  in  sight,  and 
soon  after  five,    the  fleet   anchors  at   the   appointed   rendez- 


1862.]  KOANOKE    ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  37 

vous,  about  five  miles  below  the  "  Marshes."  All  the  arrange- 
ments of  the  day  have  thus  far  been  carried  out  with  complete 
success,  and  the  leading  officers  of  the  expedition  meet  and 
exchange  congratulations.  A  boat's  crew  went  on  shore  upon 
the  main  land  during  the  night,  and  brought  off  a  pilot  for  the 
Philadelphia. 

The  work  assigned  for  the  6th  was  the  engagement  of  the 
navy  with  the  rebel  batteries,  and  the  landing  of  the  army. 
The  entire  force  started  early  in  the  morning  to  work  up  to- 
wards the  shore.  But  the  sky  was  clouded,  and  though,  at 
nine  o'clock,  the  weather  cleared  a  little,  there  was  but  little 
prospect  for  a  fair  day.  At  half  past  ten,  rain  set  in,  and 
the  wind  rose.  No  great  progress  was  made,  the  fleet  came  to 
anchor,  and  in  the  afternoon,  a  heavy  gale  blew  for  several 
hours.  The  morning  of  the  7th  opened  with  better  signs,  and 
at  nine  o'clock,  the  sky  had  cleared,  and  the  sun  was  shining. 
The  Flag  Officer  within  the  next  quarter  of  an  hour  signalled 
to  get  under  way,  and  ran  up  the  inspiring  motto  :  "  The 
country  expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty."  The  gunboats 
immediately  dashed  forward  to  their  appointed  work.  The 
leading  vessels  threaded  the  narrow  channel  of  the  Marshes, 
and  passing  beyond  into  the  more  open  waters  of  Croatan 
Sound,  approached  the  shores  of  Roanoke.  The  heavy  armed 
gunboats  closed  up  around  the  flagship  after  passing  the 
Marshes,  prepared  for  a  strong  attack.  At  eleven  o'clock, 
the  Underwriter  reconnoitered  the  shore  near  Sandy  Point, 
just  above  Ashby's  Harbor,  threw  a  shot  or  two  on  shore 
without  drawing  a  response,  and  Lieutenant  Jeffers  signalled 
"  No  battery  on  Sandy  Point."  The  enemy's  fleet,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  W  F  Lynch,  drawn  up  behind  the  bar- 
ricade, was  now  observed  to  be  preparing  for  action,  and  to  fire 
a  signal  gun  to  notify  the  troops  on  shore  that  the  hour  for 
action  had  come. 

At  half  past  ten  o'clock,  the  army  division  of  gunboats — the 
Picket,  Huzzar,  Pioneer,  Vidette,  Ranger,  Lancer,  and  Chas- 
seur— under  Commander  Hazard,  opened  the  battle  by  en- 


38  EXPEDITION    TO   NORTH   CAROLINA.       [Pbbeuaet, 

gaging  the  enemy's  fleet  and  Forts  Bartow  and  Forrest.  By 
noon,  all  the  vessels  had  come  up,  and  the  action  became  very 
lively  and  general.  The  barracks  in  the  rear  of  the  earthwork 
on  the  shore  of  .the  island  were  set  on  fire,  the  enemy's  fleet 
driven  off  beyond  the  range  of  our  heavy  guns,  and  the  ene- 
my's guns  on  shore  silenced.  Just  before  sunset,  Forts  Bar- 
tow and  Blanchard  opened  once  more,  and  the  enemy's  fleet 
ventured  forth  again  and  put  in  a  few  shots.  But  in  forty 
minutes,  the  vessels  had  been  driven  off  a  second  time,  one  of 
them  in  a  sinking  condition,  another  disabled,  and  the  guns 
from  the  forts  slackened  a  little  in  their  fire.  As  the  darkness 
came  on,  our  fleet  ceased  firing.  The  garrison  on  shore  had 
made  a  very  creditable  resistance.  The  forts  had  maintained 
a  fierce  contest,  and  showed  no  signs  of  surrender.  Above  the 
parapets,  the  rebel  flag  still  flew  defiantly.  The  navy  had 
done  a  good  day's  work,  but  the  island  was  not  yet  in  our  pos- 
session. The  casualties  had  not  been  very  great  on  either 
side.  The  Louisiana  had  been  struck  by  an  80-pound  rifled 
projectile,  which  had  exploded  in  the  fore  hold,  and  set  the 
vessel  on  fire.  But  no  one  was  injured,  and  the  flames  were 
soon  extinguished.  On  board  the  Hetzel,  one  of  our  own  80- 
pound  rifles  burst,  and  wounded  six  men.  The  magazine  was 
set  on  fire,  but  was  extinguished  in  time  to  prevent  an  explo- 
sion, by  the  intrepidity  of  Lieutenant  Charles  L.  Franklin. 
Master's  Mate  Charles  Harris,  a  gallant  officer,  was  killed  by 
a  fragment  of  an  exploded  shell  from  one  of  the  enemy's  ves- 
sels. The  Valley  City  was  struck  in  the  foremast.  The 
Hunchback  was  hit  eight  times,  but  without  injury  to  her 
crew.  The  Southfield  had  a  shot  through  her  upper  works. 
The  Morse  was  struck  several  times,  and  lost  one  man  killed. 
The  Ceres  received  a  shot  from  the  enemy  which  passed 
through  the  upper  and  lower  decks.  The  Commodore  Perry 
was  hit  seven  times,  but  suffered  no  material  injury.  The 
Seymour  had  one  man  killed  and  one  wounded.  The  Delaware 
and  Picket  covered  the  landing  of  the  troops.  The  Flao-  Offi- 
cer sent  ashore  a  party,  composed  of  officers  and  men  selected 


1862.J  ROANOKE   ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  39 

from  different  vessels  of  the  fleet,  from  the  Naval  Brigade — or 
more  properly  the  Union  Coast  Guard  —  and  the  9th  New 
Jersey,  to  assist  the  army  in  holding  the  road  from  the  harbor. 
The  party  filled  six  launches  carrying  six  howitzers,  and  was 
under  the  command  of  Midshipman  Benjamin  H.  Porter,  of 
the  Hunchback. 

In  the  meantime,  the  army  was  busily  engaged  in  preparing 
to  land  and  occupy  the  shore  of  the  harbor  and  the  road  into 
the  interior.  The  transports  were  anchored  off  the  mouth  of 
the  cove,  and  the  soldiers  were  rapidly  transferred  to  boats  and 
light  draft  steamers — one  of  which,  the  Cadet,  drew  but  two 
feet  of  water.  About  ten  o'clock  P  M.,  a  boat  load  of  volun- 
teers from  the  5th  Rhode  Island  battalion,  guided  by  Tom,  and 
under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Andrews,  detailed  from  the 
9th  New  York  to  act  as  Engineer  on  General  Burnside's  staff, 
was  sent  up  the  harbor  to  take  soundings  and  reconnoitre  the 
landing  place.  The  duty  was  performed  with  great  coolness 
and  intrepidity  by  the  party.  The  men  landed  and  remained 
a  short  time.  Just  as  they  were  leaving,  they  were  fired 
upon,  and  one  man  was  seriously  wounded.  At  a  little  past 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  all  being  ready,  the  signal  to 
land  was  given.  The  steamers  started,  each  towing  several 
boats  filled  with  men.  The  landing  was  effected  in  a  most  s;al- 
lant  and  brilliant  manner.  The  scene  was  animated  and  strik- 
ing beyond  description.  The  boats  dashed  up  to  the  shore, 
each  vieing  with  the. other,  the  men  jumped  overboard  as  the 
boats  grounded,  waded  to  the  land,  and,  amid  cheers  of  exult- 
ation, planted  the  stars  and  stripes  on  Roanoke  Island.  A  de- 
tachment of  General  Foster's  brigade  had  the  advance,  and  the 
25th  Massachusetts  was  the  first  regiment  to  land.  By  five 
o'clock,  four  thousand  men  were  put  on  shore.  Midshipman 
Porter's  battery  was  dragged  up  through  the  mire,  and  out  on 
the  road,  and  posted  in  advance.  Two  pieces  were  placed  at 
a  fork  of  the  roads,  a  short  distance  from  the  landing.  Two 
pieces  were  posted  about  half  a  mile  in  advance  on  the  left  fork, 
and  two  about  the  same  distance  on  the  right.     Detachments 


40  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.       [FEBKTTAKY, 

from  the  brigades  of  Generals  Keno  and  Parke  followed  that  of 
General  Foster  so  rapidly,  that  the  landing  was  almost  simul- 
taneous. As  soon  as  the  troops  reached  the  land,  they  marched 
up  the  island  through  the  swamps  and  along  the  causeway, 
pushing  out  on  the  double  quick.  The  remainder  of  the  com- 
mand was  put  on  shore  before  ten  o'clock.  As  the  night  came 
on,  those  in  the  rear  lighted  their  camp  fires  and  made  them- 
selves comfortable.  Those  in  front  were  not  so  fortunate. 
They  were  obliged  to  be  very  cautious,  as  it  was  not  known 
how  near  the  enemy  was.  Indeed  General  Foster  had  already 
discovered  an  armed  party  in  the  woods,  and  the  Delaware 
and  Picket  had  thrown  a  few  shells  for  the  purpose  of  dispers- 
ing them.  The  21st  Massachusetts,  in  support  of  the  battery, 
passed  a  wearisome  and  disagreeable  night.  No  fires  could 
be  built,  and  the  discomfort  was  increased  by  a  heavy  rain 
which  continued  to  fall  at  intervals  through  the  gloomy  hours. 
A  cold  and  dismal  morning  succeeded  the  cheerless  night. 
But  the  troops  were  in  the  highest  spirits,  and  when  the  word 
"  Forward !  "  was  given,  every  man  sprang  at  once,  and  with 
the  utmost  alacrity,  to  the  performance  of  his  duty.  General 
Foster's  brigade  led  the  way,  and  marched  with  steady  step  up 
the  narrow  causeway.  Midshipman  Porter's  battery  fell  into 
the  line  of  march,  the  men  dragging  the  cannon,  following  im- 
mediately the  rear  of  the  25th  Massachusetts.  The  skirmishers 
of  the  advancing  column  soon  came  in  close  contact  with  the 
enemy's  pickets,  who  promptly  gave  the  alarm  and  retired  be- 
fore our  approach.  A  mile  and  a  half  further  on,  the  enemy's 
earthwork  was  discovered,  completely  covering  and  command- 
ing the  road,  and  flanked  on  either  side  by  a  morass,  in  which 
every  standing  place  was  covered  with  vines  and  briars.  Gen- 
eral Foster  deployed  his  troops,  posted  his  battery,  and  en- 
gaged the  enemy  with  his  musketry  and  howitzers.  Little 
effect  was  produced,  and  it  was  deemed  impossible  to  carry 
the  enemy's  battery  without  reinforcements.  The  enemy  was 
strongly  posted,  his  artillery  was  superior  to  our  own,  and  his 
infantry  had  the  advantage  of  fighting  behind  breastworks. 


Jftiks 


Map  of  Operations 

OFTHE  ARMY  UNDER 

AT 

ROA  W O;  K< El    t'SLA  Ni  ID 
1832. 


18G2.J  ROANOKE    ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  41 

His  sharpshooters  were  scattered  through  the  swamp,  and  did 
good  execution.  The  27th  Massachusetts  sought  them  out 
in  their  lurking  places  and  dislodged  them. 

Meanwhile,  General  Reno,  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature, 
was  hurrying  up  his  brigade.  If  there  was  any  man  who  felt 
"  the  rapture  of  battle,"  it  was  the  brave  commander  of  the  2d 
Brigade.  His  men  felt  the  influence  of  his  enthusiastic  spirit, 
and  were  eager  to  join  the  fray.  General  Reno  ordered  his 
troops  to  the  left,  with  the  intention  of  turning  the  right  of  the 
battery.  The  movement  was  accordingly  made  as  well  as  it 
could  be,  considering  the  state  of  the  ground.  The  troops 
found  themselves  entangled  in  a  morass,  where  the  water  and 
mud  were  waist-deep,  and  in  which  almost  the  only  firm  places 
were  the  clumps  of  bushes,  briars,  and  coarse  grass  that  were 
scattered  through  the  swamp.  The  advance  in  this  difficult 
movement  was  taken  by  two  companies  of  the  21st  Massachu- 
setts, led  by  Colonel  Maggi  and  Adjutant  Stearns,  the  latter 
of  whom  gives  the  following  account  of  the  attack :  "  General 
Eeno  came  to  Colonel  Maggi,  and,  pointing  to  a  dense,  almost 
impenetrable  cypress  swamp,  said  :  '  Colonel,  you  must  flank 
the  battery.'  Colonel  Maggi  led  the  way,  I  followed,  then 
Captain  Foster  leading  his  company.  After  an  hour  of  almost 
superhuman  effort,  cutting  bushes  with  our  swords,  and  wad- 
ing to  our  middle  in  bogs  and  water,  two  companies  got  on  to 
the  flank  of  the  battery  and  began  the  fire."  Three  companies 
of  the  51st  New  York,  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Potter,  fol- 
lowed this  movement,  and  took  position  to  the  left  of  Colonel 
Maggi's  force.  The  enemy,  not  anticipating  the  advance  of 
our  troops  in  this  direction,  was  somewhat  surprised  at  their 
appearance.  It  was  but  for  a  moment.  He  quickly  trained 
his  guns  upon  the  men  in  the  swamp  and  on  the  cleared  ground 
immediately  around  his  works.  A  fearful  storm  of  grape  and 
canister  fell  around  our  men.  But  they  pushed  steadily  on, 
and  finally  reached  a  position  where  they  could  turn  and  pos- 
sibly capture  the  battery,  by  a  steady,  well  supported  charge. 
General  Reno  coolly  formed  his  line  amid  the  heaviest  of  the 


42  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH   CAROLINA.       [February, 

enemy's  fire.  Colonel  Ferrero  brought  up  the  remainder  of 
the  51st,  and  formed  on  the  left.  Major  Clark  brought  up  the 
remainder  of  the  21st,  and  formed  on  the  right,  relieving  the 
two  companies  that  had  been  engaged  in  the  unequal  conflict 
with  the  enemy's  battery.  It  was  now  about  half  past  one 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  troops  had  been  struggling 
through  the  swampy  ground  for  two  or  three  hours,  but  were 
ready  for  the  further  duty  of  the  day. 

While  these  movements  were  making  on  our  left,  General 
Foster  was  occupying  the  attention  of  the  enemy  immediately 
in  front.  The  troops  had  advanced  within  short  range,  the 
naval  battery  steadily  keeping  its  place  in  the  line.  The  25th 
Massachusetts,  which  had  suffered  quite  severely,  was  now 
withdrawn,  and  the  10th  Connecticut  took  its  place.  The  23d 
and  27th  Massachusetts  skirmished  through  the  woods  and 
the  morass  upon  the  right,  coming  full  upon  a  battalion  of  the 
enemy  and  forcing  it  back.  The  51st  Pennsylvania  was  held 
in  reserve.  The  24th  Massachusetts,  which  arrived  from  Hat- 
teras  and  landed  during  the  forenoon,  was  hastened  up  from 
the  landing  to  take  part  in  the  engagement.  The  23d  and  27th 
Massachusetts  succeeded,  after  great  exertion,  in  penetrating 
the  swamp  and  woods  on  our  right,  and  in  reaching,  with  some 
loss,  the  cleared  ground  upon  the  enemy's  left.  The  9th  New 
York,  of  General  Parke's  brigade,  under  Major  Kimball, 
pushed  its  way  slowly  through  the  underbrush  to  the  right, 
then  deflecting  towards  the  road  again,  advanced  along  the 
edge  of  the  causeway. 

General  Burnside,  at  the  landing,  now  sent  forward  General 
Parke's  brigade  to  the  support  of  the  forces  combining  for  the 
grand  final  attack.  General  Parke,  immediately  upon  his  ar- 
rival, ordered  the  4th  Ehode  Island  to  follow  the  23d  and  27th 
Massachusetts  in  the  demonstration  upon  the    enemy's    left. 

"With  the  utmost  toil,  through  mud  and  water  half-lea-  deep 

sometimes  nearly  waist-deep — the  men  struggled  throuo-h  the 
morass.  The  8th  Connecticut  occupied  the  woods  to  the  north 
and  east  of  the  landing,  guarding  the  main  road  to  prevent 


1862,]  ROANOKE   ISLAND,   AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  43 

any  movement  of  the  enemy  in  our  rear.  The  5th  Khode  Isl- 
and guarded  Ashby's  house,  now  occupied  as  a  hospital.  Such 
was  the  state  of  affairs  when  General  Reno  prepared,  soon  after 
one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  to  charge  the  enemy's  battery 
upon  its  right  flank.  It  had  required  hard  fighting  and  per- 
sistent struggling  through  a  swamp  and  wood,  that  the  enemy 
had  considered  impenetrable,  to  reach  this  point.  The  artillery 
of  the  enemy's  battery  had  been  well  served,  and  his  infantry 
had  shown  great  pluck  and  determination.  But  our  men  had 
been  gradually  enveloping  his  position,  attacking  him  in  front 
and  on  both  flanks,  and  his  time  had  come. 

General  Eeno,  having  got  his  brigade  into  position,  ordered 
the  charge.  Away  went  the  21st  Massachusetts  and  the  51st 
New  York,  followed  closely  by  the  remainder  of  the  brigade. 
They  advanced  most  gallantly  and  with  great  enthusiasm.  The 
courage  of  veterans  could  not  have  been  more  conspicuous  as 
these  brave  men  rushed  forward  to  storm  "  the  deadly  breach." 
Onward  they  went.  Adjutant  Stearns  describes  the  charge  as 
"  magnificent."  "  As  our  noble  men  advanced  with  bayonets 
fixed,  at  a  short  quick  step,  a  low,  involuntary  cry  burst  from 
their  lips.  It  was  no  war  cry  ;  it  was  a  cry  of  exultation,  of 
joy,  which  came  leaping  from  a  thousand  hearts,  swelling  into 
a  perfect  storm  of  cheers."*  The  troops  moved  rapidly  over 
the  ground  in  front,  leaped  down  into  the  ditch,  struggled 
through,  clambered  up  the  parapet,  poured  through  the  em- 
brasures, drove  out  the  enemy  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
and,  with  thundering  shouts  of  triumph,  planted  the  colors  of 
their  respective  regiments  and  the  national  flag  upon  the  cap- 
tured works.  Generals  Foster  and  Parke,  observing  from  their 
position  in  front  that  the  enemy  was  somewhat  embarassed  by 
General  Reno's  appearance  upon  his  right  flank,  ordered  the 
9th  New  York  to  charge.  Then  almost  at  the  same  time  the 
enemy  was  taken  upon  his  front  and  flank.  The  Zouaves 
.rushed  forward  with  their  peculiar  cry  of  "  Zou !  Zou !" — their 

*  Adjutant  Stearns,  p.  92. 


44  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.        [FebkuarY, 

red  caps  filling  the  road — an  exciting  scene.  They  mounted 
the  parapet  and  scattered  the  garrison.  The  two  victorious 
columns  met  in  the  centre  of  the  work  and  congratulated  each 
other  on  the  happy  result.  At  the  same  time,  the  head  of  the 
column  that  had  passed  through  the  swamp  upon  our  right 
appeared  on  the  left  of  the  enemy's  position,  and  was  received 
with  hearty  and  exultant  shouts.  The  24th  Massachusetts 
also  came  up  the  road  to  share  in  the  general  joy. 

A  halt  of  half  an  hour  was  allowed  to  refresh  the  men  and 
to  replenish  the  partially  exhausted  cartridge-boxes,  and  then 
the  troops  were  once  more  put  in  motion  to  pursue  the  retreating 
enemy.  General  Reno  with  his  brigade  marched  up  the  cen- 
tral road,  and  then  down  to  the  right  upon  the  eastern  shore 
of  the  island.  General  Foster  pursued  over  the  central  road, 
and  General  Parke  went  to  the  left.  As  the  troops  advanced 
in  pursuit,  the  evidences  of  the  total  rout  of  the  enemy  were 
observed  on  every  side.  The  way  was  strewn  with  guns, 
bowie  knives,  blankets,  canteens,  knapsacks,  and  everything 
that  could  have  impeded  the  flight  of  the  defeated  foe.  The 
21st  Massachusetts  was  in  advance,  and  as  the  troops,  after 
marching  about  three  miles,  came  out  upon  the  beach,  they 
descried  a  few  boats  filled  with  the  enemy's  wounded  and 
other  fugitives,   attempting   to    cross   the    narrow   channel  to 

Nag's  Head.     A  few  well-directed  shots   brought  to   the  rear- 
ed o 

most  boat,  which  returned  to  land.  It  had  on  board  Captain 
O.  Jennings  Wise  and  another  wounded  officer,  who  had  been 
among  the  bravest  defenders  of  the  enemy's  battery.  In  a 
large  farm  house  upon  the  beach,  other  wounded  officers  and 
soldiers  were  found.  The  troops  scoured  the  beach  right  and 
left,  and  picked  up  numerous  scattered  parties  of  prisoners. 
General  Foster  had  pushed  on  to  the  northern  end  of  the  island 
and,  after  a  march  of  four  or  five  miles,  the  advanced  compa- 
nies of  skirmishers  were  fired  upon  from  a  belt  of  woods.  The 
line  was  immediately  formed,  and  the  men  prepared  for  a 
charge.  The  enemy  then  sent  forward  a  flao-  of  truce.  The 
officer  bearing  it,  on  being  received  and  led  to  General  Foster 


1862.]  ROANOKE    ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  45 

asked  what  terms  of  capitulation  would  be  allowed.  General 
Foster  replied  that  the  surrender  must  be  unconditional.  There 
was  no  escape,  and  the  officer,  upon  a  further  conference  with 
his  superior,  returned  with  Colonel  Henry  M.  Shaw,  of  the 
8th  North  Carolina  Volunteers,  the  commandant  of  the  post, 
who  surrendered  all  the  forces  on  the  island.  The  number  of 
prisoners  was  two  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-seven,  fifty 
of  whom  were  wounded.  These  were  tenderly  cared  for,  and 
with  our  own  wounded,  received  every  attention.  Captain 
Wise  was  mortally  wounded,  but  was  defiant  to  the  very 
last.  He  died  on  the  next  morning  after  the  battle,  expressing 
with  his  latest  breath,  his  deep  regret  that  he  could  not  live 
longer  to  figbt  against  the  Union.  The  surrender  to  General 
Foster  included  all  the  defences  and  material  of  war  on  the 
island.  General  Parke,  with  the  4th  Ehode  Island  and  the 
10th  Connecticut,  marched  down  to  the  Pork  Point  battery, 
found  it  abandoned,  and  at  once  occupied  the  work.  The 
navy  had  engaged  the  attention  of  the  garrison  during  the  day 
by  occasional  firing.  As  soon  as  the  central  battery  had  fallen, 
the  enemy  had  given  up  the  contest,  and  sought  only  the  means 
of  escape. 

The  fruits  of  this  splendid  achievement,  besides  the  prisoners 
captured,  were  "  five  forts,  mounting  thirty-two  guns,  winter 
quarters  for  some  four  thousand  troops,  three  thousand  stand 
of  small  arms,  large  hospital  buildings,  with  a  large  amount  of 
lumber,  wheelbarrows,  scows,  pile  drivers,  a  mud  dredge,  lad- 
ders, and  various  other  appurtenances  for  military  service."* 
The  enemy  had  received  a  severe  chastisement.  Among 
the  prisoners  was  a  battalion  of  North  Carolina  Militia  that 
had  come  over  from  Elizabeth  City  that  morning  to  take  part  in 
the  fight,  but  had  been  obliged  to  surrender  without  firing  a  gun. 
The  names  of  the  captured  forts  were  changed,  and  received 
the  names  of  the  successful  generals.  Port  Bartow  was  called 
Port  Poster,  Port  Blanchard  received  the  name  of  Port  Parke, 

*  Burnside's  Report. 


46  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH   CAROLINA.       [February, 

and  Fort  Huger  that  of  Fort  Reno.  Our  losses  amounted  to 
forty-one  killed  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  wounded. 
The  enemy's  loss  was  considerably  less,  as  he  fought  behind 
defences. 

Among  our  killed  were  several  valuable  officers.  Captain 
Joseph  J.  Henry,  of  the  9th  New  Jersey,  was  a  good  officer 
and  brave  man,  and  fell  gallantly  fighting  in  front  of  the  enemy. 
Second  Lieutenants  Stillman  and  John  H.  Goodwin,  Jr.,  of 
the  10th  Connecticut,  were  both  steady  and  unflinching  in  the 
discharge  of  their  duty,  and  willingly  yielded  their  lives  for  its 
sake.  The  10th  Connecticut  suffered  a  severe  loss  in  the  death 
of  its  Colonel,  Charles  L.  Russell,  who  fell  a  short  time  before 
the  final  charge,  while  watching  the  progress  of  our  men  upon 
the  left.  Colonel  Russell  was  a  native  of  Northfield,  Connect- 
icut, and  was  thirty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  left  a  wife  and  family  of  small  children  to  mourn  his  death. 
He  had  long  been  associated  with  the  militia  of  his  native 
State,  and  had  taken  great  interest  in  its  welfare.  Upon  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  was  commissioned  as  Adjutant  in 
the  2d  Connecticut  regiment,  and  fought  bravely  at  the  battle 
of  Bull  Run.  He  was  appointed  Captain  in  the  8th,  and  after- 
wards to  the  command  of  the  10th,  and  inarched  with  the  latter 
to  the  seat  of  war  in  November,  1861.     His  regiment  was  dis- 

7  o 

tinguished  for  its  soldierly  bearing  and  discipline,  and  reflected 
great  credit  upon  its  brave  and  faithful  commander.  Pie  died 
in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  and  as  a  brave  officer  should, 
at  the  head  of  his  troops.  Lieutenant  Colonel  De  Montiel  re- 
mained, after  his  regiment  had  been  ordered  back  to  Fortress 
Monroe,  and  was  permitted  to  join  the  Hawkins  Zouaves  as  a 
volunteer.  He  was  killed  while  charging  with  the  regiment 
upon  the  enemy's  battery.  General  Parke  had  offered  him  a 
position  upon  his  staff  for  the  day,  but  this  he  declined,  pre- 
ferring to  take  a  rifle  and  fight  by  himself.  He  displayed  con- 
spicuous courage  until  picked  off  by  one  of  the  enemy's  sharp- 
shooters. General  Burnside  paid  handsome  tributes  to  the 
memory  of  these  brave  men  in  General  Orders.     In  their  honor, 


1862.]  ROANOKE    ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  47 

the  enemy's  captured  work  in  the  centre  of  the  island  was 
called  Battery  Russell,  and  one  of  those  taken  on  the  eastern 
shore  Battery  Monteil.  One  of  the  victims  of  the  battle, 
though  not  shot  in  action,  was  Dr.  Meinis,  of  the  48th  Penn- 
sylvania regiment.  He  was  detached  from  his  own  regiment, 
and  appointed  to  accompany  the  9th  New  Jersey,  then  going 
into  action.  He  lost  his  life  by  disease  brought  on  by  his  un- 
tiring devotion  to  the  wounded  during  and  after  the  action  of 
the  8th,  and  ending  fatally  on  the  10th.  "  To  his  forgetfulness 
of  self,"  says  the  commanding  general  in  an  order  issued  at 
the  time,  "  which  kept  him  at  his  post  at  the  hospital,  regard- 
less of  rest  or  sleep,  the  Department  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude." 
The  casualties  in  the  navy  proper,  during  the  engagement 
of  the  7th,  amounted  to  three  killed  and  eleven  wounded.  One 
of  the  latter  was  a  private  of  the  4th  Rhode  Island,  who  was 
serving  temporarily  on  the  Commodore  Perry.  In  Midshipman 
Porter's  battery,  three  men  were  killed,  six  wounded,  and  two 
were  missing.  They  belonged  to  the  Union  Coast  Guard  and 
the  9th  New  Jersey  infantry.  On  the  8th,  the  navy  was  en- 
gaged at  intervals  with  the  shore  batteries,  the  Flag  Officer 
governing  his  action  according  to  the  condition  of  things  on 
shore.  During  the  afternoon  of  the  8th,  the  barricade  across 
Croatan  Sound  was  removed  sufficiently  to  allow  a  free  access 
to  our  naval  forces  into  the  waters  where  the  enemy's  fleet  had 
sought  escape.  Of  this  fleet,  one  vessel,  the  Curlew,  had  been 
disabled  on  the  previous  day,  had  been  reduced  to  an  almost 
sinking  condition,  had  retreated  under  the  guns  of  Fort  For- 
rest, and  was  now  set  on  fire  and  blown  up  to  prevent  her  fall- 
ing into  our  hands.  The  fort  itself  also  shared  her  fate.  Cap- 
tain Lynch,  with  his  seven  remaining  vessels,  steamed  away 
for  Elizabeth  City.  Thither  the  Flag  Officer  directed  Com- 
mander Rowan  to  proceed,  and  capture  or  destroy  the  enemy's 
vessels.  A  flotilla  of  fourteen  vessels,  mounting  thirty-four 
guns,  was  placed  under  his  command.  With  this  force,  Com- 
mander Rowan  left  the  anchorage  off  Roanoke  Island  on  the 
afternoon  of  the   9th,  and  making  directly  for  the  mouth  of 


48  EXPEDITION    TO   NOETH   CAROLINA.        [FEBRUARY, 

the  Pasquotank  river,  entered  and  steamed  slowly  up  to  a  point 
about  fourteen  miles  below  Elizabeth  City,  where,  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  flotilla  came  to  anchor.  Ten  miles 
above,  was  Cobb's  Point,  where  the  enemy  had  a  four  gun 
battery.  Opposite  to  this  was  anchored  a  schooner — the  Black 
Warrior — armed  with  two  heavy  guns.  At  daylight  the  next 
morning,  the  vesels  moved  up  in  order,  the  Underwriter  in 
advance,  and  at  half  past  eight  o'clock,  the  enemy's  fleet  was 
descried  drawn  up  in  the  rear  of  the  batteries,  in  line  of  battle, 
"  diagonally  across  and  up  the  river."*  As  our  vessels  came 
within  long  range,  the  enemy  commenced  firing.  Our  own 
vessels  did  not  reply,  but  continued  silently  and  steadily  to  ad- 
vance. When  within  three-fourths  of  a  mile  of  the  rebel  fleet, 
Commander  Eowan  signalled  "  Dash  at  the  enemy  !"  The 
order  was  enthusiastically  received  and  eagerly  obeyed.  The 
vessels  were  at  once  put  to  the  top  of  their  speed,  pressed  up 
the  river,  ran  past  the  batteries,  and  immediately  engaged  the 
enemy.  The  onset  was  daring  and  desperate.  The  fight  was 
short  and  decisive.  The  Commodore  Perry  made  for  the  ene- 
my's flag  ship,  the  Sea  Bird,  ran  her  down  and  sank  her.  The 
Ceres  lay  alongside  the  Elbs  and  captured  her.  The  Under- 
writer and  Shawshcen  chased  the  Beaufort  and  another  steamer 
up  the  river  and  canal,  but  could  not  overtake  them.  The 
Lockwood  made  for  the  Black  Warrior,  which  the  enemy  soon 
deserted,  first  setting  her  on  fire.  The  Shawsheen  attacked 
the  Fanny,  which  the  enemy  also  set  on  fire  and  abandoned. 
The  Forrest,  which  was  lying  near  the  wharf  of  the  city,  re- 
pairing injuries  suffered  in  the  fight  at  Roanoke,  and  a  new 
gunboat  not  quite  completed,  were  destroyed.  The  battery 
was  deserted,  and  the  guns  captured.  In  fifteen  minutes,  the 
entire  action  was  finished,  and  in  half  an  hour,  the  fleet  was 
lying  quietly  at  anchor  off  Elizabeth  City.  The  o-arrison  and 
crews  that  escaped,  in  flying  through  the  town,  set  it  on  fire 
in  several  places.     In  this  engagement  a  notable  incident  took 


Commander  Rowan's  Report. 


1862.]  ROANOKE    ISLAND,    AND    ITS    CAPTURE.  49 

place,  which  was  very  creditable  to  a  quarter-gunner  on  board 
the  Valley  City,  by  the  name  of  John  Davis.  A  shot  from  the 
enemy  had  passed  through  the  Valley  City's  magazine  and  ex- 
ploded in  a  locker  beyond.  Lieutenant  Chaplin  went  into  the 
exposed  part  of  the  ship  to  provide  for  extinguishing  the  flames, 
and  found  Mr.  Davis  coolly  seated  on  an  open  barrel  of  pow- 
der, covering  it  with  his  person  as  the  only  means  of  keeping- 
out  the  fire.*  Secretary  Welles  recognized  the  importance  of 
^the  service;  and  at'  once  appointed  Davis  acting  gunner  in  the 
navy  of  the  United  States.  Commander  Rowan,  on  the  11th, 
sent  Lieutenant  Murray  with  the  Louisiana,  Commodore  Perry, 
Underwriter,  and  Lockwood,  to  Edenton,  where  our  forces 
destroyed  eight  cannon  and  a  vessel  on  the  stocks,  and  cap- 
tured two  schooners.  Immediately  on  the  return  of  this  expe- 
dition, another  was  sent,  under  the  same  officer,  to  obstruct 
the  Currituck  canal.  Lieutenant  Murray  effectually  accom- 
plished this  important  duty. 

In  the  cooperative  movements  of  the  army  and  navy,  the 
signal  corps  attached  to  the  expedition  was  found  to  be  of  great 
service.  This  corps  was  composed  of  twenty  officers  and  fifty 
men,  under  the  instruction  and  command  of  First  Lieutenant 
Joseph  Pricker,  of  the  8th  Pennsylvania.  Twenty-four  Second 
Lieutenants,  selected  mostly  from  Massachusetts  regiments, 
formed  the  complement  of  officers.  Two  officers  and  four  men 
were  assigned  to  each  brigade,  army  and  naval  division  head- 
quarters, and  their  services  were  gratefully  acknowledged  by 
the  officers  of  both  arms. 

The  intelligence  of  the  brilliant  victories  won  by  our  land 
and  naval  forces  was  received  at  the  North  with  feelings  of 
grateful  exultation.  The  winter  had  been  one  of  inaction  and 
almost  despondency.  The  disasters  at  Hatteras  Inlet  had  not 
conduced  to  raise  the  public  mind.  News  of  the  most  cheer- 
ing character  had  been  received  from  the  West  of  the  move- 
ment of  Flag  Officer  Poote  upon  Port  Henry,  and  of  General 

*  Commander  Rowan's  Report. 


50  EXPEDITION   TO    NOETH    CAROLINA.        [Febkuaby, 

Grant  upon  Fort  Donelson.  But  in  the  East  nothing  had 
been  done  as  yet  in  the  campaign  of  1862,  to  arouse  the  pub- 
lic enthusiasm,  and  the  victory  of  General  Burnside  and  Flag 
Officer  Goldsborough  was  accordingly  welcomed  as  the  be- 
ginning of  a  splendidly  successful  campaign.  Appreciative 
letters  were  sent  from  the  President  and  the  War  and  Navy 
Departments  to  the  triumphant  leaders.  The  Mayor  of  the 
city  of  New  York  issued  a  proclamation  of  congratulation. 
The  Legislatures  of  Massachusetts  and  Ohio  passed  votes  of 
felicitation.  The  General  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island,  upon  the 
recommendation  of  Governor  Sprague,  voted  its  thanks  and  a 
sword  to  General  Burnside.  Salutes  were  fired  in  the  princi- 
pal northern  cities.  The  successes  of  our  arms  were  accepted 
as  the  auguries  of  future  and  more  decisive  triumphs. 


1862.]  NEWBEEN    AND    FORT   MACON.  51 


CHAPTEE   V. 

NEWBEEN   AND    FOET   MACON. 

THE  second  part  of  General  Burnside's  instructions  con- 
templated the  occupation  of  Newbern.  As  soon  as  affairs 
were  sufficiently  settled  at  Roanoke  Island,  and  the  necessary 
preparations  had  been  made,  it  was  the  commanding  general's 
intention  to  proceed  at  once  to  the  main  land.  Not  a  long 
time  was  required  for  either  labor.  In  the  course  of  a  week 
or  two,  the  forts  on  Roanoke  Island  were  put  in  proper  order 
and  condition  for  defence,  and  the  51st  Pennsylvania  and  5th 
Rhode  Island  regiments  were  detailed  for  a  temporary  garri- 
son. These  regiments  were  relieved,  early  in  March,  by  the 
9th  New  York  and  6th  New  Hampshire,  and  Colonel  Hawkins 
was  appointed  Post  Commandant.  Expeditions  were  sent  out 
during  the  month  of  February,  to  reconnoitre  the  neighboring 
country.-  One  or  two  regiments  were  sent  over  to  Elizabeth 
City,  and  remained  there  for  a  short  time.  "Winton,  on  the 
Chowan  river,  was  examined  on  the  18th,  and  Old  Currituck 
Inlet  on  the  19th.  At  these  places,  some  public  property  and 
artillery  were  found  and  destroyed  or  captured.  But  these 
excursions  were  simply  designed  to  distract  the  attention  of 
the  enemy,  and  to  afford  occupation  to  the  troops  while  prepa- 
rations were  making  to  strike  the  heaviest  blow  of  all.  Gen- 
eral Burnside  was  also,  engaged  in  administering  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  island  and  others  who  de- 
sired to  renew  their  political  relations  with  the  United  States. 
On  the  18th,  the  commanding  general,  jointly  with  Flag  Officer 
Goldsborough,  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  people  of  North 
Carolina,  disabusing  their  minds  of  the  false  impressions  which 


52  EXPEDITION    TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.       [Febeuabt, 

the  rebel  government  had  sought  to  make  respecting  the  ob- 
jects of  the  war,  and  inviting  them  to  return  to  their  allegi- 
ance.* But  the  loyal  sentiment  of  the  people  was  not  particu- 
larly strong,  and  the  well-meant  measures  of  reconciliation  had 
but  little  effect.  General  Burnside  was  also  occupied,  during 
the  month  of  February,  in  disposing  of  the  prisoners  that  had 
fallen  into  his  hands.  He  could  not  spare  the  transports  which 
would  be  required  to  carry  them  North.  He  could  not 
leave  a  large  body  of  his  troops  on  the  island  to  guard  them. 
He  remembered  the  prisoners  that  had  fallen  into  the,  hands  of 
the  enemy  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  as  hei  recalled  \  the 
story  of  their  sufferings,  he  resolved  that  he  would  leave  no 
pretext  to  the  enemy  for  a  deferral  of  an  exchange.  Good 
policy  and  humanity  alike  dictated  liberal  terms  to  the  van- 
quished. He  determined,  therefore,  to  parole  his  prisoners  and 
release  them.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Osborne,  of  the  24th  Mas- 
sachusetts, was  sent  to  Elizabeth  City  to  confer  with  the  ene- 
my's officers  near  that  point  upon  the  subject.  The  result  of 
the  consultation  was  that  the  prisoners  in  our  hands  should  be 
released,  upon  signing  a  parole  not  to  take  up  arms  against  the 
United  State?,  nor  to  give  any  information  respecting  our 
forces  until  regularly  exchanged.  In  the  meantime,  the  enemy 
was  to  make  arrangements  in  good  faith  to  exchange  the 
prisoners  in  his  hands,  according  to  rank,  or  with  certain  equiv- 
alents, according  to  the  rules  of  war.  The  prisoners  were  con- 
veyed to  Elizabeth  City  on  the  20th,  and  there  released. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Osborne  performed  his  duty  with  great  ac- 
ceptance, and  General  Burnside  had  the  satisfaction  of  feeling 
that  proper  measures  had  been  inaugurated  for  releasing  from 
the  enemy's  hands  our  unfortunate  men.  His  action  was  ap- 
:  proved  by  the  Secretary  of  War. 

On  the  26th  of  February,  the  troops — with  the  exception  of 
the  garrison  at  Eoanoke — were  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to 
embark.  But  it  was  not  till  the  6th  of  March  that  they  com- 
menced going  on  board  the  transports,  and  it  was  not  till  the 

*  See  Appendix. 


1862.]  NEWBERN   AND   FORT  MACON.  ,53 

9th  that  .all  were  .in  readiness  to  move.  The  last  .regiment  to 
embark  was. the  4th  Rhode  Island,  of  General  Parke's  brigade. 
At  ten  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  11th,  the  fleet  anchored 
off  the  mouth  of  Hatteras  Inlet,  in  ; Pamlico  Sound,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  12th,  the  commanding  general  issued  a  general 
order,  notifying  his  troops  that  they  were  on  the  eve  of  an  im- 
portant movement,  which  would  greatly  demoralize  the  enemy, 
and  assist  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  its  contemplated  opera- 
tions against  Richmond.  It  was  a  bright,  warm,  and  beautiful 
day,  and  the  expedition  had  every  promise  of  success. 

At  this  time,  events  were  taking  place  in  Hampton  Roads 
Vhich  demanded  the  presence  at  that  point  of  the  Flag  Officer 
of  the  North  Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron.  The  enemy's 
iron  clad  ship,  called  by  the  rebels  the  "  Virginia " — fitted 
from  the  United  States  ship  Merrimac,  abandoned  by  us  at  the 
time  of  the  evacuation  of  the  Norfolk  Navy  Yard — ran  out  of 
the  harbor  of  Norfolk,  and  approached  our  naval  station  near 
the,  Fortress.  Several  wooden  tenders  or  consorts  accompanied 
the  iron  clad.  The  particulars  of  the  remarkable  and  disastrous 
naval  battle  that  ensued  are  well  known,  and  need  not  be  re- 
peated here.  The  powerlessness  of  our  wooden  ships  to  con- 
tend with  the  foe ;  the  sinking  of  the  Cumberland,  her 
crew  fighting  her  guns  till  the  very  last,  and  going  down 
with  the  vessel  with  the  flag  still  flying;  the  burning  of  the 
Congress  ;  the  disabling  of  the  Minnesota  by  running  aground  ; 
the  timely  arrival  of  the  Monitor  and  the  effectual  punishing 
which  she  gave  the  audacious  enemy,  are  familiar  facts.  The 
fear  which  such  an  almost  invulnerable  and  invincible  monster 
was  liable  to  produce ;  the  mischief  which  she  might  do,  if  she 
should  succeed  in  getting  out  to  sea,  in  dominating  Chesapeake 
Bay  and  even  the  entire  coast,  and  laying  Washington,  Balti- 
more, Philadelphia,  New  York  and  other  northern  cities,  under 
contribution,  and  the  necessity  of  guarding  against  such  a  con- 
tingency, all  required  extraordinary  vigilance.  As  it  was,  the 
enemy's  ship  came  near  neutralizing  General  McClellan's  plan 
for  a  movement  upon  the  Peninsula.     One  can  readily  imagine 


54  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [Maech, 

what  destruction  she  might  cause  among  a  fleet  of  transports. 
The  duty  of  providing  for  the  preservation  of  our  fleet  and  our 
army  must  be  committed  to  no  inferior.  Flag  Officer  Golds- 
borough  accordingly  left  the  waters  of  North  Carolina,  and  did 
not  appear  in  that  quarter  again  during  the  war.  He  had 
cordially  cooperated  with  General  Burnside  while  the  two 
officers  were  together,  and  had  rendered  most  efficient  service 
to  the  country.  His  administration  of  naval  affairs  had  been 
judicious,  and  he  had  acted  the  part  of  a  gallant  and  patriotic 
sailor.     He  had  been  especially  fortunate  in  his  subordinates, 

chief  among;  whom  Commander  Rowan  and  Lieutenant  Flusser 

....  * 

had  already  given  promise  of  the  distinction  which  they  after- 
wards acquired.  Commander  Rowan  was  left  in  command  of 
the  cooperative  fleet. 

Before  proceeding  to  Newbern,  General  Burnside  had  made 
himself  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  enemy's  force  and  means 
of  defence.  His  scouts  had  visited  the  town  and  the  fortifica- 
tions, and  had  brought  back  full  reports.  It  was  known  that 
the  enemy  had  batteries  planted  along  the  west  bank  of  the 
Neuse,  and  that  extensive  fortifications  were  built  upon  or  near 
the  railroad  connecting  Beaufort  with  Newbern,  a  mile  or  two 
south  of  the  Trent  river,  and  extending  west  from  the  Neuse  a 
distance  of  three  miles.  On  the  river  bank,  a  large  fort  was 
constructed,  mounting  thirteen  guns,  and  completely  com- 
manding the  river  channel  on  the  one  side  and  the  line  of 
works  on  the  other.  From  this  fort,  the  works  extended  to  the 
centre,  defended  by  a  moat  in  front,  and  terminating  in  a  bas- 
tion, ifeyond  was  the  railroad,  which  was  itself  fortified,  and 
beyond  that  was  a  sytem  of  redoubts,  thirteen  in  number  and 
a  mile  in  length,  erected  upon  six  little  mounds  or  hills  which 
rose  conveniently  to  the  main  work,  furnishing  admirable  sites 
for  defensive  works.*  Along  this  fortified  line  were  mounted 
forty-six  guns  of  different   calibres,  some  of  which  were  field 


*  These  last  named  works,  however,  were  not  known  to  the  scouts  or  to  our 
officers.  They  were  doubtless  hastily  thrown  up  in  the  interval  between  the 
report  of  the  scouting  party  and  the  day  of  battle. 


1802.]  NEWBERN   AND    FORT    MACON.  55 

artillery.  Three  miles  below  these  works  was  a  shore  battery, 
Fort  Ellis,  mounting  eight  guns,  and  two  miles  below  this  was 
Fort  Dixie,  garrisoned  by  light  artillery.  From  these  two 
works  extended  lines  of  defences  running  across  the  road  and 
into  the  country  in  the  rear.  About  three  miles  in  the  rear  of 
the  main  line  ran  the  river  Trent,  spanned  by  a  railroad  and  a 
turnpike  bridge,  of  seven  hundred  feet  or  more  in  length,  which 
connected  the  adjacent  country  with  the  city  of  Newbern. 
General  Burnside's  scouts  had  at  one  time  attempted  to  burn 
these  bridges,  but  with  indifferent  success.  Against  the  formi- 
dable works  of  the  enemy,  garrisoned  by  eight  thousand  men, 
under  the  command  of  General  L.  O'B.  Branch,  General 
Burnside  was  to  lead  his  infantry  regiments,  supported  only 
by  eight  small  naval  howitzers  for  artillery,  and  by  the  gun- 
boats in  the  river.. 

On  the  morning  of  March  12th,  the  fleet  of  transports, 
escorted  by  a  fleet  of  fourteen  gunboats  under  the  command  of 
Commander  S.  C.  Bowan,*  got  under  way  from  Hatteras  and 
sailed  across  the  placid  waters  of  Pamlico  Sound,  heading  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Neuse  river.  The  Sound  was  as  smooth  as  a 
mirror.  Scarcely  a  ripple  stole  over  its  bosom.  The  light  winds 
that  were  blowing  from  the  North  could  barely  flutter  the  en- 
signs and  pennants.  The  sun  was  shining,  and  the  command 
was  hopeful  of  victory.  At  noon,  the  sky  began  to  be  clouded, 
and  when  the  fleet,  after  pushing  up  the  Neuse,  anchored  at 
nightfall  off  the  mouth  of  Slocum's  Creek,  about  fifteen  miles 
below  Newbern,  the  heavens  were  dark  with  portents  of  rain 
and  storm.  The  signs  were  not  deceptive,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing opened  cheerless  and  rainy  enough  to  dispirit  men  of  ordi- 
nary courage.  But  at;  eight  o'clock,  the  clouds  broke,  the  sun 
shone  out  once  more,  and  the  troops  in  high  spirits  prepared  to 

*  The  naval  vessels  in  this  expedition  were  the  Philadelphia,  Stars  and 
Stripes,  Louisiana,  Hetzel/ Delaware,  Commodore  Perry,  Valley  City,  Under- 
writer, Commodore  Barney,  Hunchback,  Southfleld,  Morse,  Brinker,  and 
Lockwood.  They  were  commanded  by  the  same  officers  as  when  in  the  move- 
ment against  Eoanoke  Island,  with  the  exception  of  the  Underwriter,  which 
was  now  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  A.  Hopkins. 


56  EXPEDITION   TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [Makch, 

disembark.  At  nine  o'clock,  they  were  in  the  launches,  and 
soon  after,  the  flag  was  planted  on  the  shore  by  a  detail  of  a 
sergeant  and  three  men  belonging  to  the  51st  New  York  regi- 

O  CD  CD 

ment.     The   boats,  obeying   the   signal,  dashed   away  for  the 
landing.      Unfortunately,  the  water  was  very  shallow,  and  the 
men  Were  obliged  to  Wade   a   considerable  distance  to  the  firm 
earth.     The  sun  was  again  shut  in,  and  the  rain  began  to  fall. 
But  wet  as  the  troops  were,  they  commenced  their  march  with  un- 
diminished vigor,  and  fully  merited  the  confidence  which  General 
Burnside  had  already  expressed.     It  was  a  long,  Wearisome,  and' 
muddy  march,  through  sand,  through  mudand  water,  over  fallow 
land,   along  forest  paths.     The  gunboats  flanked  the  column, 
maintaining  a  position  a  little  in  advance,  shelling  the  shore  to 
disperse  any  hostile  force  that  might  be  disposed  to  dispute  our 
progress.     The  men  trudged  on  along  the  muddy  roads,  cheer- 
ing each  other  with  joke  and  song  and  laugh,  as  best  they 
could.     A  few  officers   were  mounted,  but  most  were  on  foot, 
sharing  the  labors  of  the  men;     Each  earned  his  own  baggage. 
The  gunboats  had  furnished  a  battery  of  six  howitzers,  each 
of  which  was  dragged  by  twelve  sailors,  commanded  by  naval 
officers  detailed  for  the  purpose,  and  led;  by  Lieutenant  E,.  S. 
McCook,  of  the  gunboat  Stars  and  Stripes.     Two  Wiard  Im- 
pounders, manned  by  sailors   from   the  transports,  were  com- 
manded by  Captains  Bennett,  of  the  Cossack,  and  Dayton,  of 
the  Highlander.     The  skirmishers  of  the  24th  Massachusetts 
led  the  advance,  and  the  11th  Connecticut  brought  up  the  rear. 
Through  the  afternoon  the  troops   toiled  forward,  and  soon 
after  dusk,  bivouacked  at  a  point  nine  miles   distant  from  the 
landing,  and  about  a  mile  from  the  enemy's  defences.     Nothing 
of  great  interest  bad  happened   during  the   march,  except  the 
discovery  that  the  enemy  had   abandoned  the   two  lower  lines 
of  earthworks  and  camps.     General  Reno's  brigade  marched 
along  the  railroad ;  the  other  troops   occupied  the  county  or 
turnpike  road.     One  prisoner  was  captured,  who  communicated 
the  welcome  intelligence  of  the  evacuation   of  Manassas   and 
the  advance  of  General  McClellan  from  around  the  fortifica- 


^ 


T. 


^  =^  ^» '■^  m  s*.  r)  M    A .  » 


btlfiOS- 


k 


OPERATIONS 

OF   THE  ARMY   UHOIR 


1862.J  NEWBERN    AND    FORT   MACON.  57 

tions  of  Washington.  Tired,  wet,  and  hungry,  the  men  were 
glad  to  halt  and  seek  what  rest  might  be  found  in  the  mud 
around  the  camp  fires. 

Occasional  showers  fell  during  the  night,  and  when  the 
morning  of  the  14th  dawned,  clouds  of  fog  enveloped  the  army 
itself  and  all  surrounding  objects.  The  troops  were  early 
awake  and  ready  for  the  day's  work.  Much  of  the  ammuni- 
tion had  been  spoiled  by  the  excessive  moisture,  and  during 
the  subsequent  action  many  of  the  men  had  nothing  but  the 
bayonet  to  rely  upon  for  either  offensive  or  defensive  operations. 
But  there  was  no  murmuring,  and  the  discipline  and  good  order 
of  the  army  prevailed  over  every  unfavorable  circumstance. 
The  plan  of  the  attack  was  very  simple.  The  position  of  the 
enemy  admitted  of  little  or  no  manoeuvering  of  the  troops.  The 
works  to  be  assailed  must  be  captured  by  downright  fighting. 
They  could  not  be  turned.  They  would  have  to  be  stormed. 
The  large  work  on  the  river,  Fort  Thompson  by  name,  had 
four  guns  bearing  on  a  party  advancing  by  land.  The  breast- 
work to  the  railroad  was  fully  manned  and  armed.  The  small 
redans  upon  the  enemy's  right  beyond  the  railroad  were  filled 
with  men,  and  prevented  any  flanking  movement  on  our  part. 
The  enemy's  right  rested  upon  an  almost  impenetrable  morass. 
It  was  simply  a  question  of  unflinching  bravery.  Would  our 
men  march  steadily  up  to  works  blazing  with  artillery,  and  en- 
ter them  in  the  face  of  every  opposition  ?  General  Burnside 
believed  that  they  would.  It  was  an  audacious  enterprise. 
But  its  very  audacity  contributed  to  its  success.  The  simple 
plan  was  to  "  move  on  the  enemy's  works  "  and  capture  them. 
The  line  of  battle  was  formed  with  General  Foster's  brigade 
on  the  right,  General  Reno's  on  the  left,  and  General  Parke's 
on  the  right  centre,  ready  to  render  assistance  to  either  wing  as 
the  occasion  might  demand.  General  Foster  formed  his  brigade 
by  posting  the  25th  Massachusetts  on  the  extreme  right,  fol- 
lowed in  order  by  the  24th  Massachusetts  in  line  of  battle,  with 
the  left  resting  on  the  county  road.  Immediately  on  the  left  of 
the  road  the  Highlander's  howitzer  was  placed,  under  command 

8 


58  EXPEDITION    TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [Maech, 

of  Captain  Dayton,  supported  by  the  27th  Massachusetts.  Lieu- 
tenant McCook's  battery  of  boat  howitzers  was  posted  on  the 
left  of  Captain  Dayton's  gun,  and  the  23d  Massachusetts  regi- 
ment was  placed  in  support  on  the  left  of  the  27th.     The  10th 
Connecticut  coming  up,  was  formed  on  the  left  of  the  23d  Mas- 
sachusetts.    These  dispositions  were  made  by  eight  o'clock  and 
the  battle  opened.     The  firing  on  both  sides  was  very  heavy 
and  at  short  range,  but  from  the  bad  condition  of  our  ammuni- 
tion, our  men  could  do  but  little  execution.     The  enemy's  fire 
was  hot  and   somewhat   destructive.     The  ammunition  of  the 
27th  Massachusetts  was  soon  expended,  and  these  troops  were 
obliged  to  retire   from  their  dangerous  position.     Their  place 
was  supplied   by  the   11th  Connecticut,  of  General  Parke's 
brigade,  which  had   been  sent  round  by  General  Burnside  for 
that  purpose.     The  ammunition  of  the  naval  howitzers  giving 
out,  the  25th  Massachusetts  was  marched  by  the  flank  to  their 
support,  leaving  the  24th  Massachusetts  on  the  extreme  right. 
Here  this  regiment  was  exposed  to  a  hot  fire  from  Fort  Thomp- 
son, which  was  partially  kept  down  by  the  deliberate  and  accu- 
rate fire  of  our  own  men  and  by  the  guns  of  the  fleet.     The 
entire  line  of  breastwork  was  alive  with  men,  and  furnished 
but  little  opportunity  for  any  execution,  except  as  the  enemy 
exposed  himself  above  the  parapet.     Our  men  were  compelled 
to  seek  shelter  by  lying  down  in   the   hollows  of  the  ground, 
and  directing  thence  their  fire  upon  the  foe.     But,  with  such  a 
trial  of  endurance  and  courage,  the  New  England  brigade  man- 
fully  held  its  ground  and  kept  up  a  well  directed  and  continuous 
fusilade.     The  enemy  was  fully  occupied  until  the  time  came 
for  the  final  advance  of  the  entire  line.     The  attack  in  all  parts 
by  General  Foster's  brigade  was  exceedingly   well  sustained, 
and  afforded  great  assistance  to  the  more  decisive  operations  on 
the  left. 

General  Reno,  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  put  his  bri- 
gade in  motion  along  the  railroad,  with  the  21st  Massachusetts 
in  advance,  followed  in  order  by  the  51st  New  York  9th  New 
Jersey  and  51st  Pennsylyania.     At  about  the  same  time  that 


1862.]  NEWBERN   AND    FORT   MACON.  59 

General  Foster  became  engaged,  the  skirmishers  of  the  21st, 
proceeding  cautiously  but  rapidly  through  a  belt  of  woods  along 
the  left  of  the  railroad  track,  descried  a  locomotive  battery  com- 
ing clown  the  track.  A  few  well  directed  shots  sent  it  back 
within  the  defences,  and  soon  after  the  head  of  the  column 
struck  the  right  flank  of  a  battery,  that  rested  at  this  point 
upon  a  deep  cut  in  the  railroad  and  a  cleared  brick  yard,  con- 
taining: several  buildings  and  brick  stacks.  The  air  was  filled 
with  mist  and  the  smoke  of  the  battle  which  was  raging  on  the 
right.  But  little  could  be  seen,  and  one  company  of  the  21st 
was  sent  forward  to  reconnoitre,  while  the  remainder  of  the  regi- 
ment was  formed  in  line  for  attack.  General  Reno,  with 
characteristic  gallantry,  was  with  the  extreme  front  of  his 
brigade — at  one  time  just  saved  from  death  by  Colonel  Sinclair 
of  the  rebel  service,  who  desired  to  capture  rather  than  kill 
him* — and  immediately  ordered  the  regiment  to  charge  and 
take  the  brick  yard.  The  enemy  retired  at  the  approach  of 
our  troops,  and  took  a  position  immediately  in  the  rear  of  the 
yard,  and  in  a  trench  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  railroad, 
from  which  they  poured  in  a  very  destructive  fire  upon  our 
advancing  lines.  While  this  movement  was  going  forward,  the 
51st  New  York  and  9th  New  Jersey  came  up  and  formed  on 
the  left  of  the  21st  Massachusetts — the  olst  Pennsylvania  being 
held  in  reserve  on  the  extreme  left.  As  soon  as  General  Eeno 
could  understand  the  position  of  affairs  and  could  penetrate  the 
mist,  he  found  that  he  had  not  reached  the  enemy's  right,  but 
that  the  redans  on  the  hills  extended  far  beyond  his  own  lines. 
His  safety  consisted  in  attacking  in  front,  and  he  moved  his 
brigade  as  nearly  as  possible  towards  the  enemy's  works,  order- 
ing the  men  to  pick  off  the  enemy's  gunners — meanwhile  vigil- 
antly watching  for  an  opportunity  to  advance.  The  21st  Mas- 
sachusetts found  that  opportunity  and  gallantly  improved  it. 

*Colonel  Sinclair's  command,  as  the  men  saw  General  Reno  approach,  pre- 
pared to  fire  upon  him,  but  were  peremptorily  forbidden  to  do  so.  For  this  act 
of  humanity  Colonel  Sinclair  was  accused  of  treachery  to  the  rebel  cause,  and 
was  obliged  to  leave  the  service. 


60  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [Makch, 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Maggi  had  resigned  the  command  of  the 
regiment  while  at  Eoanoke  Island,  and  Major  W  S.  Clark  pro- 
moted to  Lieutenant  Colonel,  was  now  its  commanding  officer.* 
General  Eeno  ordered  him  to  charge  upon  the  enemy's  position, 
intending  to  support  him  immediately  with  the  rest  of  the  bri- 
gade and  sweep  the  hostile  lines,  but  found  that  he  could  not 
do  so.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Clark  started  forward  with  four 
companies  of  his  men  in  the  midst  of  a  most  galling  fire,  pressed 
vigorously  on,  planted  the  flag  within  the  enemy's  intrench- 
ments,  rallied  his  men  around  it,  and  made  a  second  charge. 
He  was  opposed  by  a  six  gun  battery,  which  he  immediately 
attacked  with  great  fury.  So  vigorous  was  the  assault,  that 
the  enemy  retired  with  precipitation,  and  the  guns  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  brave  men  of  the  21st.  But  the  supporting  regi- 
ments could  not  come  up,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Clark,  with 
his  little  band  of  brave  men,  was  in  danger  of  being  himself  cut 
off  and  captured.  The  enemy,  recovering  from  his  first  sur- 
prise, and  perceiving  the  smallness  of  the  force  that  had  driven 
him  out,  returned  to  the  attack  in  overwhelming  numbers. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Clark,  with  difficulty,  but  with  great 
skill,  extricated  his  command  and  retired  to  the  railroad.  It 
was  a  brave  attempt,  and  had  General  Reno  been  able  to  bring 
up  the  remainder  of  his  brigade  from  under  the  fire  of  the 
redans  upon  his  left,  it  would  have  been  a  magnificent  success. 
But  it  was  reserved  for  General  Parke  to  strike  the  decisive 
blow  with  the  4th  Rhode  Island  regiment. 

General  Parke,  soon  after  daylight,  formed  his  brigade  and 
moved  in  rear  of  General  Foster  upon  the  county  road.  The 
4th  Rhode  Island  was  in  advance,  followed  by  the  8th  Con- 
necticut and  the  5th  Rhode  Island  battalion.  The  11th  Con- 
necticut, of  this  brigade,  had  been  assigned  to  General  Foster's 
command  to  support  the  howitzer  battery,  as  has  already  been 
stated.  Upon  General  Foster's  opening  of  the  battle  General 
Parke  was  ordered  to  file  to  the  left  and  take  such  position  as 


*Colonel  Augustus  Morso  of  the  21st  had  been  detached  at  Annapolis  and 
placed  in  command  of  the  depot  of  supplies  at  that  place. 


1862.]  NEWBERN   AND    FOKT   MACON.  61 

would  enable  him  to  support  either  General  Eeno  or  General 
Foster,  as  the  vicissitudes  of  the  fight  might  require.  General 
Parke  moved  to  a  point  about  midway  between  the  two  wings, 
a  little  in  the  rear,  and  halted.  The  ground  in  front,  so  far  as 
it  could  be  observed,  was  discovered  to  be  quite  difficult, 
abounding  in  swampy  places  and  broken  with  hollows  and 
ridges  of  a  slight  elevation.  Among  these  ridges  the  men 
found  some  shelter  from  the  missiles  of  the  enemy,  which  were 
now  flying  thick  and  fast  among  them.  Colonel  Eodman,  of 
the  4th  Ehode  Island,  finding  his  position  too  much  exposed, 
moved  forward  to  the  railroad  and  rested  his  men  near  the 
embankment,  which  afforded  good  cover.  It  was  now  about 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  While  here,  Colonel  Eodman 
noticed  the  gallant  but  ineffectual  charge  of  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Clark  and  his  subsequent  retirement.  He  put  his  men  on  the 
alert,  and  meeting  Lieutenant  Colonel  Clark,  was  informed 
of  the  situation  of  affairs  and  the  feasibility  of  renewing  the 
attack.  Colonel  Eodman  immediately  assumed  the  responsi- 
bility of  assaulting,  ordered  his  men  to  the  charge,  sending  in- 
telligence to  General  Parke  of  the  movement  which  he  designed 
to  make.  General  Parke  at  once  sent  an  aide  to  ascertain  the 
real  condition  of  the  troops  and  the  enemy,  and  upon  his  report 
of  the  practicability  of  the  movement,  approved  the  action  of 
Colonel  Eodman  and  advanced  the  rest  of  his  brigade  in  sup- 
port. Colonel  Eodman  pressed  forward  with  his  regiment, 
entered  the  works  which  Lieutenant  Colonel  Clark  had  left, 
and  fought  his  way  along  gun  by  gun,  until  he  had  swept  the 
enemy's  lines  for  some  distance  to  the  right,  and  captured  nine 
pieces  of  artillery.  The  8th  Connecticut  followed  closely  upon 
the  steps  of  the  4th  Ehode  Island,  and  the  5th  Ehode  Island 
brought  up  the  rear,  turning  the  enemy  completely  out  of  the 
works  which  he  had  so  well  defended.  General  Foster,  ob- 
serving the  progress  made  by  General  Parke's  brigade,  ordered 
an  advance  along  his  entire  front.  His  troops  charged  cheer- 
ing, and  the  11th  Connecticut  soon  stood  side  by  side  with  its 
old  comrades.     But  the  enemy,  now  thoroughly  shaken   and 


62  EXPEDITION   TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [MAKCH, 

demoralized,  did  not  wait  for  the  attack.  He  hurriedly  re- 
treated -  from  his  intrenchments,  and  Fort  Thompson  and  the 
whole  line  of  breastwork  from  the  railroad  to  the  river  fell 
into  the  hands  of  our  victorious  troops.  The  action  on  the  left 
was  not  yet  over.  General  Reno's  brigade  was  still  hotly  en- 
gaged. Sending  out  the  8th  Connecticut  and  the  5th  Rhode 
Island  battalion  as  skirmishers  to  ascertain  what  the  enemy  was 
doing,  General  Parke  ascertained  that  the  rifle  pits  and  redoubts 
on  the  left  of  the  railroad  were  still  occupied,  and  that  our 
troops  were  exposed  to  a  galling  fire.  Again  he  called  upon 
the  4th  Rhode  Island  to  charge  the  enemy.  Again  did  Colonel 
Rodman  lead  his  men  through  a  heavy  and  severe  fire  to  victory. 
They  charged  gallantly  through  the  storm  of  shot  and  shell, 
took  the  enemy's  line  in  flank,  rolled  it  up  and  swept  it  away. 
General  Reno  pressed  his  brigade  forward,  leading  on  his 
troops  with  impetuous  daring.  They  quickly  cleared  the  rifle 
pits,  they  stormed  the  redoubts,  they  carried  everything  away 
before  them.  The  day  was  bravely  and  brilliantly  won,  and  as 
General  Burnside  rode  into  the  captured  works,  he  was  received 
with  enthusiastic  cheers.  The  victorious  army  was  immediately 
put  upon  the  track  of  the  retreating  rebels.  But  the  flying  foe 
was  too  quick  in  his  movements.  A  train  of  cars  was  in  waiting 
on  the  track  in  rear  of  the  enemy's  lines,  and  the  defeated  troops 
at  once  filled  it  and  were  carried  across  to  Newbern.  Others  fled 
across  the  railroad  and  turnpike  bridges,  setting  the  former  on 
fire  and  destroying  the  draw  of  the  latter.  Not  stopping  at 
Newbern  longer  than  to  apply  the  torch  to  several  of  its  build- 
ings, the  enemy's  commanding  general  pushed  on  into  the 
country  in  the  rear,  and  scarcely  felt  himself  secure  till  at  Kins- 
ton  he  had  placed  another  river  between  himself  and  General 
Burnside's  army.  But,  devoid  of  cavalry  as  we  were,  our 
troops  could  make  no   pursuit.     They  marched  rapidly  to  the 

river  Trent — finding  other  abandoned  works  on  the  way and 

were  there  stopped  by  the  burning  bridge.     Later  in  the  after- 
noon, General  Foster's  brigade  was  carried   across  to  the  citv 
and  encamped  in  and  about  the  place.     The  next  day  was  oc- 


1862.J  NEWBEKN    AND    FOET   MACON.  83 

cupied  in  posting  the  troops  in  and  around  the  city.  On  Sat- 
urday night,  the  commanding  general — having  ordered  Divine 
Service  for  the  morrow — had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that 
the  week  had  ended  well.  His  second  great  victory  had  been 
won,  and  the  shores  of  Albemarle  and  Pamlico  Sounds  were 
now  in  undisputed  possession  of  our  arms.  It  was  certainly 
an  occasion  of  gratitude  to  the  Almighty,  who  had  given  the 
success. 

The  battle  of  Newbern  was  a  peculiar  conflict.  It  may  be 
doubted  whether  another  such  was  fought  during  the  war.  It 
was  a  bold  attack  upon  a  strongly  fortified  position,  heavily 
armed  and  abundantly  manned,.made  by  an  infantry  force  with- 
out siege  guns  or  any  artillery,  in  fact,  except  a  few  howitzers. 
It  was  a  fight  in  a  fog.  Our  officers  did  not  really  know  the 
extent  of  the  works  to  be  assaulted,  till  the  army  was  immedi- 
ately under  their  guns.  It  would  seem  that  the  existence  of 
the  redoubts  upon  the  enemy's  extreme  right  was  hardly  sus- 
pected until  General  Reno  found  his  brigade  suffering  from 
their  fire,  and  was  unable,  in  consequence,  to  support  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Clark's  movement  as  he  had  at  first  intended.  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  enemy  was  laboring  under  the  disadvan- 
tage of  not  knowing  the  number  of  the  forces  that  were  attack- 
ed o 

ing  him.  He  knew  that  there  were  men  in  his  front,  but  how 
many,  and  with  what  engines  of  destruction,  he  did  not  know. 
The  unexpected  appearance  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Clark's  bat- 
talion of  four  companies  in  the  midst  of  his  intrenchments  dis- 
concerted him  for  the  moment,  and  he  yielded  the  battery 
which  they  attacked  without  fully  understanding  by  how  small  a 
force  it  had  been  captured.  His  right  wing  fought  better  than 
his  left,  and  continued  the  contest  with  great  gallantry,  even 
after  the  fortune  of  the  day  had  been  decided.  As  it  happened, 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Clark's  charge  was  an  act  of  great  temerity. 
But  General  Reno,  when  he  ordered  it,  intended  to  follow  im- 
mediately with  the  remainder  of  his  brigade.  As  it  resulted, 
it  proved  a  great  benefit ;  for  it  revealed  the  weak  places  of 
the  enemy's  line.     Colonel  Hodman,  with   a  fine  soldierly  in- 


64  EXPEDITION    TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [Maech, 

stmct,  perceived  that  the  enemy's  line  could  there  be  success- 
fully pierced,  and  his  prompt  and  daring  spirit  suggested  that, 
without  losino-  time  in  waiting:  for  orders,  he  should  take  ad- 
vantage  of  the  opportunity  so- fortunately  offered.  General 
Parke,  had  he  been  a  martinet  in  discipline,  might  have  re- 
called his  subordinate  from  his  perilous  enterprise.  But  he 
had  sufficient  sense  and  sagacity  to  perceive  that  Colonel  Eod- 
man  was  acting  for  the  best,  though  upon  his  own  responsibility. 
He  accordingly  followed  up  the  attack  with  his  remaining  force, 
and,  effectually  and  successfully  piercing  the  enemy's  centre, 
broke  up  his  line  and  threw  his  troops  into  confusion  and  dis- 
may.* In  this  battle,  moreover,  every  man  was  engaged. 
There  were  no  reserves,  properly  so  called.  Every  regiment 
was  under  fire  from  the  start,  and  was  put  into  the  action 
whenever  and  wherever  it  could  most  effectively  do  its  required 
work.  General  Burnside  was  along  the  line  at  every  point 
where  his  presence  was  most  required,  repairing  a  mistake 
here,  pushing  an  advantage  there.  His  subordinate  officers 
were  thoroughly  brave  and  skilful  soldiers,  and  his  men  were 
flushed  with  victory  and  inspired  with  unlimited  confidence  in 
their  commander.  The  enemy  was  shaken  by  the  defeat  on 
Roanoke  Island,  the  Commanding  General  Branch  was  not  dis- 
tinguished for  any  remarkable  soldierly  qualities,  and  the  im- 
pression which  the  valor  of  Burnside's  troops,  already  tried 
and  proved,  had  made,  was  not  encouraging  for  any  prolonged 
resistance.  On  both  sides,  the  number  of  assailants  and  de- 
fenders was  about  equal,  but  the  advantage  clearly  lay  with 
the  enemy,  who  was  emboldened  by  his  sense  of  security  be- 
hind his  defences.  The  contest,  therefore,  was  somewhat  stub- 
born, though  not  of  long  duration,  and  the  victory  that  was 
gained  reflected  great  credit  upon  our  arms ;  for  it  demon- 
strated beyond  all  cavil  the  fearlessness  of  our  soldiers  and  the 
skill  and  bravery  of  their  officers.  .  The  fruits   of  the  victory 

*  "When  General  Burnside  was  told  that  the  4th  Rhode  Island  was  in  the 
rebel  works,  as  he  saw  the  flag  moving  rapidly  along,  he  exclaimed  "  I  knew 
it.    It  was  no  more  than  I  expected.    Thank  God,  the  day  is  won!"  ' 


1862,]  NEWBERN    AND    FORT   MACON.  65 

were  the  possession  of  the  North  Carolina  coast  washed  by  the 
two  Sounds,  the  occupation  of  the  city  of  Newbern,  which 
proved  to  be  an  invaluable  accession,  the  capture,  of  about  two 
hundred  prisoners,  sixty-six  guns,  a  great  amount  of  forage, 
supplies  and  naval  stores,  tents  and  barracks  for  ten  thousand 
men,  and  large  quantities  of  small  arms,  equipments,  accoutre- 
ments, and  horses  abandoned  by  the  flying  enemy.  It  was  a 
very  damaging  blow  to  the  enemy  in  that  quarter,  and  it 
spread  a  wholesome  idea  of  the  power  and  the  prowess  of  the 
army  of  the  Union  among  the  people  of  North  Carolina. 

The  casualties  among  our  troops  in  the  battle  of  Newbern 
amounted  to  eighty-eight  killed  and  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  wounded.  The  21st  Massachusetts,  from  its  exposed  po- 
sition and  the  daring  of  its  officers  and  men,  suffered  the  great- 
est loss.  Among  the  wounded  was  Lieutenant  Colonel  Rob- 
ert B.  Potter  of  the  51st  New  York.  He  received  his  injury 
early  in  the  action,  but,  bandaging  the  wound  as  well  as  he 
could  at  the  time,  he  continued  with  his  regiment  till  the  close 
of  the  engagement,  and  rendered  great  service.  Major  Ste- 
venson of  the  24th  Massachusetts,  received  a  severe  wound 
while  exhibiting  great  gallantry  before  the  enemy's  works. 
Captain  Frazer  of  the  21st  Massachusetts,  was  taken  prisoner 
at  the  time  the  charge  was  made  upon  the  enemy's  position. 
But  upon  the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  he  managed  to  keep  in  the 
rear,  and,  drawing  his  revolver,  captured  and  brought  in  the 
three  men  left  to  guard  him.  The  abandoned  earthworks 
which  were  discovered  upon  the  march  to  the  field  were  found 
by  Captain  R.  S.  Williamson,  of  the  Topographical  Engineers, 
who  made  several  daring  reconnaissances,  accompanied  by 
Captain  Potter  and  Lieutenants  Pell,  Fearing,  Strong,  Reno, 
Morris,  and  other  staff  officers. 

Among  the  killed  were  numbered  several  excellent  officers. 
Rev.  O.  N.  Benton,  Chaplain  of  the  51st  New  York,  was  mor- 
tally wounded,  and  died  soon  after  the  action.  He  was  a  most 
useful  man  in  the  regiment,  and  exercised  a  very  beneficial 
influence  by  the  exemplary  Christian  character  which  he  illus- 


6Q  EXPEDITION   TO    NOKTH    CAROLINA.  [JlAECH, 

trated  in  word  and  deed.  He  was  struck  while  encouraging 
and  cheerino-  on  the  men  in  the  midst  of  the  severest  part  02 
the  eno-ao-ement.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Henry  Merritt  of  the 
23d  Massachusetts  was  killed  early  in  the  engagement,  while 
bravely  urging  his  men  into  line  in  a  most  exposed  position. 
He  was  from  Salem,  Mass.,  was  a  very  promising  officer  and 
an  estimable  man.  He  is  mentioned  by  the  commanding  officer 
of  his  regiment  as  of  kindest  heart  and  of  great  gallantry  in 
action.  He  had  gathered  in  a  large  measure  of  confidence  and 
friendship,  and  his  loss  was  severely  felt  by  all  who  knew  him. 
Captain  Charles  Tillinghast  of  the  4th  Rhode  Island  was 
killed,  while  gallantly  leading  his  company  forward  in  the 
charge  upon  the  enemy's  works.  He  was  a  faithful  officer — 
"  frank,  manly,  courteous  and  kind  " — and  rendered  excellent 
service  in  council,  camp,  and  field.  His  last  words,  addressed 
to  his  Lieutenant,  were  :  "  If  I  fall,  press  on  with  the  men." 
Lieutenant  Henry  R.  Pierce,  of  the  5th  Rhode  Island  battalion, 
was  killed  in  the  second  charge  upon  the  enemy's  lines.  He 
was  a  teacher  by  profession,  had  applied  for  and  accepted  his 
commission  in  the  finest  spirit  of  duty  He  Avas  a  man  of  very 
estimable  and  worthy  character,  of  scholarly  attainments,  and 
of  manly  principles.  He  stood  in  the  very  front  rank  of  his 
profession  in  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  and  his  death  was  felt 
as  a  public  calamity  by  many  who  were  beyond  the  immediate 
circle  of  his  personal  friendship. 

But  among  those  who  gave  up  their  lives  in  their  country's 
service  upon  this  field  of  sacrifice  and  victory,  the  most  inter- 
esting and  striking  character  was  that  of  Adjutant  Frazar  Au- 
gustus Stearns.  His  extreme  youth,  (he  was  not  quite  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  when  he  fell,)  his  high  tone  and  spirit,  his 
gallant  and  daring  behavior  when  in  action,  his  faithful  and 
dutiful  conduct  in  camp,  and  his  earnest,  affectionate  and  reli- 
gious disposition  at  all  times  had  endeared  him  to  his  comrades 
and  attracted  the  warm  regard  of  his  superior  officers.  He 
was  the  son  of  President  Stearns  of  Amherst  Colleo-e  Mass. 
had  been  tenderly  reared,  carefully  nurtured,  and  thoroughly 


18G2.J  NEWBEEN   AND    FOBT   MACON.  67 

trained  in  habits  of  study.  He  was  a  student  in  Amherst  Col- 
lege at  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  But  the  quiet  and  secluded 
life  of  a  student  did  not  suit  the  thoughts  or  desires  of  one  who 
felt  that  the  call  for  men  which  was  made  after  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run  was  meant  especially  for  him.  "  There  is  a  call  for 
Frazar  A.  Stearns,"  he  said,  and  after  much  deliberation  and 
discussion,  gained  the  consent,  of  his  father  and  friends,  and 
gave  himself  to  his  country.  He  was  commissioned  First 
Lieutenant  in  the  21st  Massachusetts  Begiment  in  the  summer 
of  1861,  and  was  ordered,  with  his  regiment,  to  Washington 
on  the  twenty-first  of  August.  The  regiment  was  soon  after 
stationed  at  Annapolis,  and  became  a  part  of  the  Expedition 
to  North  Carolina.  General  Reno  desired  to  have  the  young 
officer  upon  his  staff,  but  Lieutenant  Steam's  preferred  remain- 
ing with  his  regiment,  of  whida  he  was  now  Adjutant.  His 
bravery  was  conspicuous  on  the  battle  field  of  Roanoke  Island, 
where  he  received  two  wounds.  His  ardent  and  impulsive 
temperament  urged  him  into  the  thickest  of  the  conflict,  while 
his  firm  Christian  faith  kept  him  cool  and  composed  in  the 
midst  of  all  dangers.  He  received  his  death  wound  early  in 
the  battle,  while  his  regiment  was  charging  gallantly  into 
the  enemy's  works  near  the  brick  yard.  He  was  the  first  to 
fall,  receiving  a  bullet  in  his  right  breast,  and  uttering  a  short 
ejaculation  he  breathed  forth  his  spirit,  supported  in  the  arms 
of  one  of  his  soldiers.  It  was  a  pure  and  beautiful  life  sacri- 
ficed with  a  willing  devotion  to  duty,  freedom,  and  God.  A 
Memoir,  written  by  his  father,  and  published  by  the  Massa- 
chusetts Sabbath  School  Society,  is  a  warm  and  graceful  trib- 
ute to  his  memory  as  a  man,  a  soldier  and  a  Christian.  Gen- 
eral Burnside  directed,  in  special  orders  dated  March  16th, 
1862,  that  "  the  six-pounder  brass  gun  taken  in  the  battery 
where  Adjutant  Stearns,  of  the  21st  Massachusetts  Volunteers, 
met  his  death  while  gallantly  fighting  at  the  battle  of  Newbern, 
be  presented  to  his  regiment  as  a  monument  to  the  memory  of 
a  brave  man."  The  regiment  voted  to  present  the  piece  to 
Amherst  College.     General   Reno  expressed,  in  his  official  re- 


68  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [MAECH, 

port  of  the  battle,  his  admiration  of  young  Stearns  as  "  one 
of  the  most  accomplished  and  gallant  officers  in  the  army." 
His  death  was  the  occasion  of  numerous  kind  and  cordial  ex- 
pressions of  sympathy  from  officers  and  soldiers,  and  from 
many  friends  and  acquaintances  who  had  been  attracted  to  him 
by  his  generous  and  affectionate  nature. 

In  the  battle  of  Newbern,  the  navy  rendered  efficient  ser- 
vice, by  bombarding  the  enemy's  earth  works,  by  defending 
the  right  flank  of  our  army,  by  crossing  the  troops  to  the  city 
and  holding  it  in  connection  with  the  land  forces.  General 
Burnside,  in  his  official  report,  mentions  the  conduct  of  the 
naval  officers  in  terms  of  high  commendation.  Captain 
Thomas  P  Ives,  in  command  of  the  Picket,  is  declared  to  have 
rendered  marked  service  here,  as  at  Roanoke  and  elsewhere. 
The  fleet  under  Commander  Rowan  was  always  ready  for  any 
service  which  General  Burnside  desired.  The  naval  battery, 
that  was  sent  on  shore  under  Lieutenant  McCook,  was  most 
handsomely  and  efficiently  handled.  It  suffered  a  loss  of  two 
men  of  the  Union  Coast  Guard  killed,  and  two  officers,  five 
men  of  the  Guard  and  four  seamen  wounded.  Near  the  close 
of  the  action,  the  battery  captured  Colonel  Avery  and  a  portion 
of  the  25th  North  Carolina,  who  had  been  driven  out  of  the 
rifle  pits  and  were  endeavoring  to  escape,  when  encountered  by 
Lieutenant  McCook  and  his  command.  Commander  Rowan 
speaks  of  the  obstructions  in  the  river  as  "  very  formidable,  and 
prepared  with  great  care."  "  The  lower  barrier  was  composed 
of  a  series  of  piling  driven  securely  into  the  bottom  and  cut  off 
below  the  water.  Added  to  this  was  another  row  of  iron- 
capped  and  pointed  piles,  inclined  at  an  angle  of  about  forty- 
five  degrees  down  the  stream.  Near  this  was  a  row  of  thirty 
torpedoes,  with  trigger  lines  attached  to  the  pointed  piles."  A 
second  barrier  "  consisted  of  a  line  of  sunken  vessels  closely 
massed  and  chevaux  de  frise,"  leaving  open  only  a  narrow  pas- 
sage directly  under  the  guns  of  Fort  Thompson.  In  passing 
the  barrier,  the  Commodore  Barney  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
were  somewhat  injured.     The  Commodore  Perry  struck  one  of 


1862.J  NEWBERN    AND    FORT   MACON.  69 

the  iron  stakes  and  carried  off  with  her  its  head  sticking  in  her 
bottom.  The  torpedoes  did  not  explode.  The  Delaware  ran 
up  to  the  city  and  captured  one  schooner,  two  steamers,  and  a 
laro-e  amount  of  naval  stores  sufficient  to  load  nine  vessels. 
Thus  brilliantly  and  without  serious  casualty  did  Commander 
Rowan  and  his  sailors  do  their  part  of  the  work. 

The  next  point  in  General  Burnside's  instructions  was  to  se- 
cure the  towns  of  Beaufort  and  Morehead  City,  and  to  reduce 
Fort  Macon.  Not  a  moment  was  lost  in  proceeding  to  this 
task.  As  soon  as  the  captures  at  Newbern  could  be  properly 
cared  for,  and  the  necessary  business  of  closing  up  the  affairs, 
which  a  battle  of  this  kind  always  carries  in  its  train,  had  been 
transacted,  General  Burnside  made  his  preparations  for  invest- 
ing Fort  Macon.  The  storage  of  supplies,  the  paroling  of  pri- 
soners, the  communications  with  the  enemy  respecting  the  late 
contest,  the  settlement  of  affairs  in  the  city  and  the  inaugura- 
tion of  a  new  order  of  things  occupied  considerable  time.  The 
position  required  to  be  fortified  to  some  extent,  to  guard  against 
any  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  reoccupy  it.  It  was  feared  at 
the  North,  that  a  portion  of  the  enemy's  forces,  which  had  just 
evacuated  Manassas  and  its  neighborhood,  might  have  been 
sent  to  North  Carolina  to  drive  our  troops  away  from  that 
point.  The  battle  of  Newbern  demonstrated  the  ability  of 
General  Burnside  and  his  troops  to  take  care  of  themselves 
against  an  ordinary  or  equal  force  of  the  enemy.  But  it  was 
yet  barely  possible,  that  an  overwhelming  number  of  the  enemy 
might  attack  them.  Newbern  was  open  to  such  attack,  and  must 
consequently  be  fortified,  so  that  it  could  be  easily  defended 
even  against  superior  forces.  Happily  its  situation  at  the  con- 
fluence of  the  rivers  Neuse  and  Trent  was  such  that  fortifica- 
tions could  be  speedily  thrown  up,  and  a  canal  dug  between 
the  two  rivers,  which  when  filled  with  water,  would  entirely 
insulate  the  city,  and  thus  render  it  when  defended  by  a  reso- 
lute garrison,  almost  impregnable.  It  was  also  necessary  to 
destroy  the  railroad  leading  westward  towards  Goldsboro'  for  a 


70  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [MARCH, 

considerable  distance.     General  Burnside  initiated  these  two 
undertakings  and  then  gave  his  attention  to  Fort  Macon. 

The  first  act  was  to  take  possession  and  occupy  the  railroad 
leading  from  Newbern  to  Beaufort,  by  gradually  extending  our 
outposts  towards  the  latter  city.     General  Parke's  brigade  was 
selected  for  this  movement,   and  the  navy,   at  the  proper  mo- 
ment, was  to  go  round  by  sea  and  assist  in  the  reduction  of  the 
fort.     The  distance  from  Newbern  to  Beaufort  is  about  forty 
miles,  and  the  country  between  is  a  series  of  morasses,  traversed 
by  the  railroad  and  the  common  highway-     Our  forces  could 
use  both  these  roads  in  marching.     But  the  destruction  of  the 
brido-e  at  Newbern  prevented  the  use  of  the  railroad  for  pur- 
poses of  transportation.     Still  our  troops  were  in  the   rear  of 
the  desired  points,  and  no  resistance  was  anticipated  except  im- 
mediately under  the  guns  of  the  fort.     No  resistance  was  made. 
The  first  movement  was  a  reconnaissance  down  the  railroad  for 
about  fifteen  miles,  made  by  General  Burnside  and  Lieutenant 
Williamson,  engineer   officer,   on  the   18th  of  March.     It  was 
found   that  a  force  could  be  transported  by  water  to  Slocum's 
Creek,  there   land,   and  march  thence  by  way  of  the  highway 
and  railroad.     Hand  cars  on  the  railroad  were  used  for  carry- 
ing supplies.     On  the  20th,  this   movement  was  made,  and  a 
part  of   the  command  proceeded  as   far  as   Havelock   Station, 
about  a  mile  from  the  landing,  where  one  company  of  the  5th 
Rhode  Island  Battalion  remained  until  the  23d  as  guard  of  the 
post.     Captain  Arnold,  who  was  in  command,  found  near  his 
camp  an  abandoned   grist   mill,   the   machinery  of  which  the 
rebels    had  attempted  to   destroy,  when  they  abandoned  the 
neighborhood.     The   mechanics  of  the  5th,   under  the  intelli- 
gent direction  of  their  captain,  soon  put  it  in  order  again,  and 
the  mill  was  found  to  be  very  serviceable  to   the  comfort  and 
subsistence  of  the  troops.     The  rest  of  the  command  marched 
on  well  into  the   night,   and  finally  reached  and  occupied  some 
barracks  which  had  been  previously  built  and  used  by  the  ene- 
my's troops.     On  the   21st,   the  advance  proceeded   as  far   as 
Carolina  City,  a  village  containing   from   fifty  to  one  hundred 


1862.]  NEAVBERN    AND   FORT   MACON.  71 

inhabitants,  a  few  respectable  dwellings  and  the  ruins  of  a  large 
hotel — a  place  of  considerable  summer  resort.  The  hotel 
had  been  burnt  by  the  enemy  a  few  days  before  the  arrival  of 
our  troops.  Opposite  the  town  across  a  narrow  channel  was 
Bogue  Island,  on  the  eastern  extremity  of  which  was  Port  Ma- 
con. On  the  22d  two  companies  of  the  4th  Rhode  Island  were 
sent  to  Morehead  City,  and  on  the  night  of  the  25th  another 
detachment  of  the  same  regiment,  supported  by  one  company 
of  the  8th  Connecticut,  occupied  Beaufort.  On  the  night  of 
the  23d  the  command  was  closed  up,  the  5th  Rhode  Island  oc- 
cupying Newport.  Here  a  railroad  bridge  had  been  destroyed 
by  the  enemy,  which  Major  Wright  was  directed  to  rebuild. 
He  commenced  work  on  the  24th,  and  by  the  night  of  the  29th 
he  and  his  command  had  constructed  a  bridge  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  in  length,  capable  of  bearing  a  train  of  the 
weight  of  fifty  tons. 

General  Parke  made  his  headquarters  at  Carolina  City  and 
summoned  the  fort.  Its  commandant,  Colonel  Moses  J.  White, 
declined  to  surrender  his  post.  He  was  even  disposed  at  one 
time  to  bombard  the  towns  occupied  by  our  forces,  but  happily 
refrained  from  such  an  unwarrantable  proceeding.  The  citi- 
zens seemed  to  be  about  equally  divided  in  their  sentiments  of 
loyalty.  In  some  instances  our  troops  were  welcomed  with 
great  cordiality.  It  was  remarked  at  the  time,  as  an  encourag- 
ing fact,  that  on  the  Sunday  following  the  occupation  of  Beau- 
fort, prayers  for  the  President  of  the  United  States  were  read  in 
the  Episcopal  church  of  the  town  and  responded  to  with  marked 
earnestness. 

Port  Macon  itself  is  a  small,  but  strong  stone,  casemated 
work,  mounting  sixty-seven  guns  at  the  time,  and  was  then 
garrisoned  by  a  battalion  of  about  five  hundred  men.  Its  com- 
mandant was  a  brave  and  resolute  officer,  and  though  entirely 
isolated,  was  determined  to  hold  his  position  till  the  last  mo- 
ment. He  had  made  preparations  for  defence  by  procuring 
supplies,  by  levelling  the  ground  for  the  sweep  of  his  guns,  by 
undermining  and  overthrowing   the  neighboring  light-house, 


72  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [March, 

and  was  evidently  resolved  to  give  an  attacking  party  a  warm 
reception.  General  Burnside  therefore  decided  to  make  a  com- 
plete investment  of  the  fort,  and,  by  a  combined  attack  by  land 
and  sea,  force  its  surrender.  General  Parke  was  an  accom- 
plished engineer,  and  to  him  the  work  of  besieging  the  fort  by 
land  was  entrusted.  It  could  not  have  been  committed  to  bet- 
ter hands.  Assisted  by  Captain  Williamson  and  Lieutenant 
Flagler,  General  Parke  began  his  task.  On  the  29th,  he  threw 
a  part  of  his  brigade  upon  the  island  and  prepared  to  construct 
his  batteries.  The  operations  for  investing  the  fort  were  ma- 
terially assisted  by  the  configuration  of  the  island.  General 
Parke  found  here  what  General  Gillmore  afterwards  found  on 
Morris  and  James  Islands  near  Charleston — long,  low  ridges  of 
sand,  behind  which  the  troops  could  work  almost  unmolested 
by  the  enemy's  fire.  These  ridges  are  doubtless  formed  by  the 
wind,  and  like  the  sands  of  Cape  Cod,  and  other  exposed  places 
upon  our  seaboard,  change  their  situation  and  form  according 
to  the  force  of  the  gale  to  which  they  are  opened.  Some  delay 
had  been  experienced  by  the  destruction  of  the  railroad  bridge. 
But  immediately  upon  its  completion,  large  quantities  of  ord- 
nance stores  and  siege  material  began  to  arrive  from  Newbern. 
Trenches  were  dug,  mortar  beds  formed,  and  the  mortars 
mounted,  some  heavy  Parrott  guns  placed  in  position  and  the 
number  of  troops  on  the  island  increased.  Nearly  a  month 
was  occupied  in  these  important  operations.  General  Parke 
was  vigilant  and  indefatigable.  General  Burnside  was  as  fre- 
quently  at  Beaufort  and  Carolina  City  as  affairs  at  Newbern 
permitted  his  presence,  and  the  siege  was  pushed  on  as  rapidly 
as  the  circumstances  of  the  case  would  allow.  The  fort  was 
hemmed  in  on  every  side.  The  blockading  squadron,  consist- 
ing of  steamers  Daylight,  State  of  Georgia  and  Chippewa  and 
the  bark  Gemsbok,  all  under  the  command  of  Commander 
Samuel  Lockwood,  kept  a  sharp  look  out  at  sea.  Our  soldiers 
picketed  the  island  in  all  directions.  A  few  small  sailino-  boats 
that  had  been  found  at  Beaufort  were  made  extremely  conveni- 
ent by  our  officers  for  parties  of  duty  and  pleasure,  and  con- 


1862.]  NEWBERN   AND    PORT   MACON.  73 

siderable  information  and  an  occasional  prisoner  were  picked  up 
from  time  to  time.  The  siege  was  by  no  means  devoid  of  va- 
riety, and  our  officers  enjoyed  the  opportunity  of  making 
acquaintances  among  the  former  adherents  of  Jefferson  Davis, 
some  of  whoni  did  not  hesitate  to  profess  an  amount  of  original 
"  Unionism  "  which  was  absolutely  suspicious.  There  were 
two  English  vessels  lying  in  the  harbor  of  Beaufort  when  our 
forces  occupied  the  town,  the  officers  and  crews  of  which  dis- 
played a  somewhat  unfriendly  spirit.  It  had  been  supposed 
that  the  noted  rebel  privateer  and  blockade  runner,  the  Nash- 
ville, was  lying  at  Morehead  City.  But  she  had  run  out  to 
sea  immediately  after  the  battle  of  Newbern,  and  succeeded  in 
eluding  our  blockading  fleet. 

The  month  of  April  was  drawing  to  a  close.  At  last,  on  the 
23rd,  General  Parke  reported  himself  ready.  Under  his  intel- 
ligent direction  every  preparation  had  been  thoroughly  made 
and  there  was  no  hope  for  the  devoted  fort.  No  shot  had 
as  yet  been  fired  by  our  men.  But  so  complete  had  been 
the  arrangements,  that  General  Burnside,  who  was  now 
present  and  desired  to  prevent  a  loss  of  life,  again  sum- 
moned Colonel  White  to  surrender,  offering  generous  terms. 
Colonel  White  again  declined  in  the  fewest  possible  words. 
Nothing  more  was  to  be  done  than  to  open  our  batteries.  Com- 
mander Lockwood,  ever  ready  to  cooperate,  stationed  his 
vessels  near  the  point  on  which  the  fort  was  built,  with  the 
expectation  of  taking  part  in  the  bombardment.  But,  unfortu- 
nately, the  weather  was  boisterous,  the  sea  was  rough,  and  on 
the  day  of  battle,  the  naval  forces  could  accomplish  but  little. 
They  had  a  smart  engagement  with  the  fort  of  about  an  hour's 
duration.  The  Daylight  was  struck  once  and  had  one  officer 
wounded. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th,  General  Parke  opened  his 
guns  on  the  fort.  He  had  prepared  three  siege  batteries,  one 
of  three  thirty-pound  guns,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
L.  O.  Morris,  one  of  four  eight-inch  mortars,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  D.  W.  Flagler,  one  of  four  ten-inch  mor- 
10 


74  EXPEDITION   TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [Avail,, 

tars,  under  the  command  of  Second  Lieutenant  M.  F.  Prouty, 
of  the   25th  Massachusetts.     From  these  the  fire  was  accurate 
and  destructive.     The   bombardment  continued  through  that 
day,  the  fort  replying  vigorously.     But   the  commandant  saw 
that  his   case   was   desperate.     For   ten   hours   our  missiles  of 
destruction  rained   down  upon  the  work.     Our  heavy   guns 
made  breaches  in  its  walls,  our   shells   exploded  within  its  en- 
closures.    The  ramparts  were  swept  clean  of  men.     Seventeen 
guns  were   disabled  and    dismounted.     The  face  of  the  fort 
showed  the  marks  of  many  an  indentation.     The  garrison  was 
too  small  to  make   a  prolonged  existence  without  exhaustion. 
On   the    morning   of    the    23th,    therefore,     Colonel    White 
hung  out  the  white  flag,  obtained  honorable  terms  of  capitula- 
tion, marched  out   his   command,  and   surrendered  to  General 
Parke  the  fort  which  he  had  so  persistently  defended.     The 
5th  Rhode  Island  battalion  at  once  marched  in,  took  posses- 
sion, and  the  flag  of  the  United  States  once  more  floated  over 
the  recovered  work.     This  was  the  second  of  the  forts  which 
had  been  "  reoccupied  and  repossessed  "  by  our  forces  by  pro- 
cess of  siege,  Fort  Pulaski  having  surrendered  to  General  Gill- 
more,  after  a  fierce  bombardment,  on   the   eleventh   of  April. 
The  fall  of  Fort  Macon,  so  creditably  accomplished  by  General 
Parke,  gave  us  possession  of  a  new  base  of  supplies  and  of 
operations,  and  relieved   that  portion  of  the   blockading  fleet 
which  had  been  lying  off  the  harbor  of  Beaufort.     Not  many 
supplies  were  found  in  the  fort,  as  the  length  of  the  siege  had 
depleted  the  store  houses.     The   armament  and  the   fort  itself 
had  been  considerably  injured   by  our   attack.     Much  of  the 
artillery,  however,  was  in  good  condition   as   it  fell  into  our 
hands.     The  losses  on  both  sides   were  inconsiderable.     Upon 
our  part,  but  one  man  was   killed   and  five  wounded.     The 
enemy  lost  eight  killed  and  twenty  wounded.     The  interior  of 
the  fort  is  said  to  have  been  "  literally  covered  with  fragments 
of  bombs  and  shells."* 


*  Commander  Lockwood's  Report. 


1802.]  NEWBERN   AND    FORT   MACON.  75 

But  one  stronghold  of  the  enemy  on  the  coast  of  North  Car- 
olina now  remained  unconquered — that  of  Wilmington,  which 
was  heavily  fortified  and  well  defended.  But  it  was  not  per- 
mitted to  General  Burnside  to  add  the  capture  of  this  import- 
ant place  to  his  series  of  victories.  He  had  already  done 
enough  to  deserve  the  commendations  of  his  grateful  country- 
men, but  he  would  have  been  glad  to  complete  the  occupation 
of  the  North  Carolina  shores.  He  received  the  most  flattering 
testimonials  from  the  authorities  at  Washington  of  the  appre- 
ciation of  the  service  which  he  had  already  rendered.  The 
Secretary  of  War  expressed  his  gratitude  in  the  following 
terms :  "  The  report  of  the  late  brilliant  successes  of  the 
United  States  forces  under  your  command  at  Newbern  has 
afforded  the  highest  satisfaction  to  the  President,  to  this  De- 
partment, and  to  the  whole  nation,  and  thanks  for  distinguished 
services  are  again  tendered  to  you  and  the  officers  and  soldiers 
under  your  command."*  These  expressions  of  approval  were 
not  mere  empty  words.  General  Burnside  was  promoted  to 
Major  General  of  Volunteers,  his  commission  dating  March 
18th.  Generals  Foster,  Reno,  and  Parke  were  also  promoted 
to  the  same  grade,  dating  from  the  fall  of  Fort  Macon,  April 
26th.  Colonel  Eodman  received  a  deserved  advancement  to 
the  rank  of  Brigadier  General,  dating  from  the  28th  of  April. 
Flag  Officer  Goldsborough  and  Commander  Rowan  also  re- 
ceived the  thanks  of  Congress  for  their  services  at  Eoanoke 
Island  and  Newbern,  and  were  duly  promoted  to  a  superior 
rank.  Thus  did  a  grateful  country  manifest  its  approval  of 
patriotic  and  heroic  deeds. 

*  Mr.  Stanton's  Letter,  as  quoted  in  General  Order  No..  23. 


76  EXPEDITION  TO   NORTH   CAROLINA.  March, 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

THE  boundaries  of  General  Burnside's  jurisdiction  as  com- 
mander of  the  Department  of  North  Carolina,  were 
necessarily  denned  by  the  limits  of  the  conquests  which  our 
arms  should  make.  After  the  battle  of  Newbern,  the  pursuit 
of  the  flying  foe  into  the  interior  would  have  been  an  easy 
task,  had  the  victorious  army  been  appointed  and  equipped 
for  an  aggressive  campaign  of  such  importance.  But  General 
Burnside  had  no  cavalry.  He  had  also  no  reserves.  All  his 
forces  had  been  put  into  the  battle  after  a  wearisome  march, 
and  they  were  too  much  exhausted  to  do  more  than  drive  the 
enemy  out  of  his  defences.  The  orders  for  the  expedition 
pointed  to  the  immediate  reduction  of  Fort  Macon.  General 
Burnside,  therefore,  was  obliged  to  content  himself  with  the  ad- 
ministration of  affairs,  and  with  strengthening  Newbern  and  put- 
ting it  in  condition  for  defence,  that  it  might  become  a  suitable 
base  for  future  military  operations.  His  instructions  content- 
plated  no  movement  at  present  beyond  the  reoccupation  of  Fort 
Macon.  On  Sunday,  March  16th,  public  services  of  Thanks- 
giving to  God  for  the  victories  of  our  arms  were  held  in  the 
churches  of  Newbern,  and  on  Monday,  the  serious  civil  work 
of  the  Department  began. 

General  Burnside  found  that  he  had  by  no  means  an  easy 
task  to  perform.  While  the  siege  of  Fort  Macon  was  in  progress, 
affairs  at  Newbern  demanded  almost  constant  personal  super- 
vision. There  were  questions  of  j>roperty  to  settle,  the  em- 
ployment and  care  of  large  numbers  of  "  contrabands  "  who 
had  been  abandoned  by  their  masters,  the  subsistence  of  many 


1862.J  DEPARTMENT    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA.  77 

poor  persons  who  had  no  visible  means  of  support,  and  a  thou- 
sand other  matters  of  greater  or  less  Importance,  which  re- 
quired perpetual  attention.  The  Department  had  been  consti- 
tuted upon  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  at  Hatteras  Inlet. 
While  it  included  within  its  boundaries  only  Hatteras  Inlet 
and  its  neighborhood,  its  civic  duties  were  not  arduous.  But 
as  its  limits  enlarged,  its  labors  increased.  It  had  been  sup- 
posed that  North  Carolina  was  a  State  which  had  been  reluct- 
antly dragged  out  of  the  Union.  There  must  be  a  strong  loyal 
sentiment  somewhere  latent  among  the  people.  It  was  not  the 
least  of  General  Burnside's  duties  to  seek,  to  find  and  to  de- 
velope  this  sentiment.  Could  it  be  done  best  by  diplomacy  or 
by  arms  ?  General  Burnside  did  not  think  that,  while  the 
rebels  had  a  large  army  in  the  field,  any  State  could  be  allured 
from  its  subjection  to  the  rebel  government.  It  would  be  use- 
less for  any  number  of  people  to  declare  themselves  independ- 
ent of  the  authority  at  Bichmond,  while  that  authority  could 
command  the  arms  of  half  a  million  of  soldiers.  A  State  must 
be  conquered,  or  its  professed  allegiance  was  of  small  value. 
It  was  the  duty  of  the  Commander  of  a  Department  to  show  to 
all  the  people  within  the  boundaries  of  his  authority,  that 
the  government  which  he  served  was  more  powerful  than 
the  usurping  government,  and  that  he  had  ample  means  for 
protecting  those  persons  who  would  renounce  their  allegiance 
to  the  enemy  and  declare  themselves  loyal  to  the  Union.  The 
policy  of  the  United  States  was  not  only  to  conciliate,  but  to 
subdue  and  to  defend.  If  there  should  be  any  considerable 
numbers  of  loyal  persons  on  the  shores  of  North  Carolina,  it 
would  be  cruel  to  leave  them  exposed  to  the  hatred  and  hos- 
tility of  their  enemies.  As  a  military  movement,  it  was  also 
necessary  to  hold  certain  points  upon  the  coast,  to  manifest  the 
supreme  authority  of  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and 
to  prove  that  the  attempts  making  to  restore  that  authority 
all  over  the  South  were  made  earnestly  and  with  an  eye  to 
success. 

With  some  such  object  in  view,  General  Burnside  sent  out 


78  EXPEDITION   TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [March, 

detachments  of  his  troops  to  visit,  examine,  and,  if  thought 
necessary,  to  occupy  certain  portions  of  the  coast.  While 
General  Parke's  brigade  was  busy  at  Beaufort  and  Fort  Ma- 
con, the  command  at  Newbern  was  not  suffered  to  lack  employ- 
ment. Colonel  Hartranft,  with  the  51st  Pennsylvania  Eegi- 
ment,  made  a  reconnaissance  into  the  interior  of  the  coast 
counties,  acquiring  considerable  valuable  information,  and  pick- 
ing up  a  few  prisoners. 

A  somewhat  important  expedition,  under  the  command  of 
General  Foster,  was  sent  to  Washington,  at  the  head  of  the 
Pamlico  river.  On  the  19th  of  March,  eight  companies  of 
the  24th  Massachusetts,  under  Colonel  Stevenson,  were  em- 
barked on  board  the  steam  transport  Guide,  and  on  the  20th, 
they  sailed,  under  convoy  of  the  gunboats  Louisiana,  Dela- 
ware, and  Commodore  Perry.  The  steamers  anchored  in  the 
Pamlico  river  the  same  night,  and  on  the  21st,  proceeded 
up  the  river.  At  a  distance  of  five  miles  below  the  place, 
obstructions  were  found  in  the  channel,  to  prevent  the  ingress 
of  any  hostile  force.  One  or  two  deserted  batteries  were 
observed  upon  the  shore.  The  gunboats  broke  through  the 
obstructions,  but  owing  to  the  shallowness  of  the  water,  the 
transport  could  not  approach  the  town.  Two  companies  were 
transferred  to  a  boat  of  lighter  draft,  were  landed,  and  marched 
into  the  place  without  hindrance. 

An  account  of  the  occupation  given  by  the  correspondent  of 
the  Boston  Journal,  presents  a  very  good  view  of  the  expedition 
and  its  results  :  "  Washington  is  a  village  of  twenty-five  hundred 
inhabitants,  some  two-thirds  of  whom  have  seen  fit  to  leave  for 
the  interior.  It  is  a  pleasant,  inviting  locality.  Our  troops 
landed  at  a  wharf,  and  visited  the  village  about  two  o'clock  in  the. 
afternoon,  where  they  were  received  by  the  remaining  inhabi- 
tants  with  every  expression  of  welcome.  In  passino-  through  the 
streets,  one  lady  appeared  at  her  door  and  displayed  the  stars 
and  stripes,  which  she  had  long  kept  secreted  from  the  rebels. 
She  seemed  overjoyed  at  the  sight  of  our  troops.  The  line  of 
march  extended  to  the   Court  House,  where   was  a  flao-  staff 


1862.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA.  79 

and  upon  this  was  run  up  the  national  flag.  The  people  gath- 
ered wonderingly  about,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the  sight,  though 
they  refrained  from  any  strong  expression  of  their  feelings.  It 
was  ascertained  that  the  principal  portion  of  the  rebel  force 
here  had  left  immediately  after  Newbern  was  taken,  and  that 
a  squa,d  of  cavalry,  which  lingered  behind,  had  recently  left 
the  place."  Our  naval  forces  found  that  two*  gunboats  had 
been  building  at  this  place.  One  of  them,  pierced  for  six  guns, 
was  launched  and  carried  up  the  river  a  short  time  before  the 
arrival  of  our  forces.  It  was  burnt  on  the  night  of  the  20th, 
by  the  enemy's  hands.  The  other  boat  was  not  yet  com- 
pleted, and  was  destroyed  by  our  seamen,  assisted  by  some  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town.  After  a  short  stay,  our  troops 
were  reembarked,  and  on  the  next  day  returned  to  Newbern. 
Other  small  bodies  of  troops  were  sent  into  the  country  upon 
reconnoitering  expeditions.  They  returned  with  reports  of  a 
not  very  encouraging  nature.  The  loyal  sentiment  of  the  peo- 
ple of  North  Carolina  was  not  so  strong  as  had  been  supposed. 
The  people  had  at  first,  doubtless,  beeen  overawed  by  the  su- 
perior power  of 'the  rebel  government.  But  they  had  also,  to 
a  very  great  extent,  willingly  entered  into  the  war  against  the 
Federal  Government.  North  Carolina  had  also  profited  largely, 
and  was  destined  to  profit  still  more  by  the  blockade-running, 
for  which  Wilmington  afforded  unusual  facilities.  The  people 
were  not  yet  ready  to  break  away  from  the  yoke  of  the  insur- 
gent power.  They  n*ad  not  felt  its  heavy  burden  as  they  were 
destined  to  feel  it  a  later  period.  Still,  our  own  government 
did  not  despair  of  bringing  the  State  back  to  its  allegiance. 

Roanoke  Island  was  also  the  base  of  some  operations  which 
kept  the  troops  employed,  though  they  accomplished  no  extra- 
ordinary results.  Before  the  army  had  started  for  Newbern, 
on  the  8th  of  March,  a  force  of  six  companies  of  the  6th  New 
Hampshire  had  been  sent  to  Columbia  in  search  of  a  regi- 
ment of  rebels  which  was  said  to  be  gathering-  recruits  at  that 
place.  General  Foster  led  the  expedition.  The  troops  landed, 
marched  into  the  village,  but  could  find  no  enemy.     The  pop- 


80  EXPEDITION   TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [April, 

ulation  of  that  section  of  the  State  was  so  sparse,  that  the  game 
was  not  worth  the  candle.  The  village  was  very  small,  and 
the  inhabitants  of  slight  account  as  to  either  character  or  cour- 
age.  Nothing  more  formidable  than  the  public  whipping  post 
was  found,  and  that  was  speedily  destroyed. 

A  rather  more  brilliant  affair  was  conducted  by  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Griffin  of  the  6th  New  Hampshire  with  four  companies 
of  his  own  regiment  and  two  companies  of  the  9th  New  Jersey, 
about  six  hundred  men  in  all.  Eeceiving  information  that  a 
rebel  camp  was  pitched  for  recruiting  purposes  near  Elizabeth 
City,  Colonel  Griffin  proceeded  thither  under  convoy  of  the 
gunboats  Virginia,  Ceres,  General  Putnam,  Commodore  Perry, 
and  Stars  and  Stripes,  on  the  night  of  the  7th  of  April.  Colonel 
Griffin  landed  his  forces  the  next  morning  near  the  designated 
place.  The  two  companies  of  the  9th  New  Jersey  disem- 
barked at  Elizabeth.  The  6th  New  Hampshire  proceeded 
about  three  miles  above  the  city  to  cut  off  the  enemy's  retreat. 
The  attack  was  gallantly  made.  The  camp  was  surprised,  one 
of  the  enemy  killed,  two  wounded  and  seventy-four  captured. 
The  remainder  took  to  the  woods,  leaving  three  wounded  and 
fifty  stands  of  arms  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  ammunition 
and  public  stores  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  our  victorious  troops. 
The  command  returned  to  Roanoke  Island  without  loss. 

An  expedition  on  a  somewhat  larger  scale  than  any  that  had 
yet  been  undertaken,  was  sent  to  Camden  County  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ascertaining  what  force  of  the  enemy,  if  any  there  were, 
had  become  established  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Albemarle 
and  Chesapeake  Canal,  and  what  opportunity  existed  for  ob- 
structing the  canal  itself.  The  troops  engaged  in  the  enter- 
prise were  the  21st  Massachusetts,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Clark, 
51st  Pennsylvania,  Major  Schall,  the  9th  New  York,  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Kimball,  89th  New  York,  Colonel  H.  S.  Fairchild, 
and  6th  New  Hampshire,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Griffin.  The  9th 
New  York  had  with  them  two  howitzers,  and  two'  other 
pieces  of  artillery  manned  by  the  Marines  and  commanded  by 
Colonel  Howard,  accompanied  the  expedition.     The  first  two 


1862.]  DEPARTMENT   OF    NORTH    CAROLINA.  81 

regiments  and  Colonel  Howard's  command  were  from  New- 
bern  and  formed  a  brigade  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Bell.  The 
remainder  of  the  troops  were  from  Roanoke  Island  and  formed 
a  brigade  under  Colonel  Hawkins.  The  gunboats  Commo- 
dore Perry,  Delaware,  Lockwood,  Picket,  Southfield,  Stars 
and  Stripes,  Underwriter,  General  Putnam  and  Whitehead 
escorted  the  expedition.  The  land  forces  were  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Reno.  The  work  of  disembarkation  at  a  point 
about  four  miles  below  Elizabeth  City  commenced  about  mid- 
night of  the  18th  of  April.  Colonel  Hawkins  had  his  com- 
mand landed  about  two  o'clock  A.  m.  on  the  19th.  The  other 
troops  were  delayed  by  the  transports  getting  aground  and  did 
not  reach  the  shore  until  about  seven  o'clock.  Colonel  Haw- 
kins was  ordered  to  march  his  brigade  to  South  Mills,  where 
was  a  bridge  which  the  enemy  would  be  obliged  to  cross  in  re- 
treating. The  guides  which  he  had  were  either  incompetent 
or  treacherous,  and  led  him, in  a  long,  circuitous  march  through 
the  country,  but  not  into  the  enemy's  rear.  He  came  out  upon 
the  road  upon  which  General  Reno  was  leading  the  remainder 
of  the  command,  about  twelve  miles  from  the  landing  place, 
and  there  about  noon  the  two  columns  made  a  junction.  This 
was  not  precisely  according  to  General  Reno's  instructions  and 
somewhat  disturbed  his  arrangements.  The  only  thing  to  be 
done,  however,  was  to  push  forward  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

The  march  had  told  very  severely  upon  all  the  troops,  par- 
ticularly upon  Colonel  Hawkins's  brigade.  The  day  was  very 
hot ;  the  roads  were  very  dry  and  dusty.  The  men  had  had 
little  or  no  experience  in  marching  and  sensibly  felt  the  debili- 
tating influence  of  the  weather.  Many  suffered  from  slight 
sun  strokes  and  fell  out  from  the  line  of  march  exhausted  by 
the  unaccustomed  hardship.  The  surgeons  and  chaplains  in 
the  rear  were  obliged  to  impress  wagons  and  other  vehicles, 
with  mules  and  horses  that  were  found  in  the  barns  along  the 
road,  to  relieve  the  weary  soldiers. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  at  a  point  near  Cam- 
den, about  twenty  miles  distant  from  the  landing,  the  enemy 
11 


82  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH   CAROLINA.  [Makch, 

was  discovered  posted  in  a  strong  position  with  infantry  and 
artillery  and  a  few  cavalry.  In  front  was  a  plain  broken  and 
cut  by  ditches,  in  the  rear  a  forest,  and  on  the  left  an  "  open 
piney  wood."  Our  howitzers,  that  were  in  advance,  first  re- 
ceived the  enemy's  fire  from  his  field  pieces.  Colonel  Howard 
put  his  own  pieces  in  position  and  returned  the  fire  with  spirit. 
General  Reno  quickly  made  his  dispositions.  He  sent  the  21st 
Massachusetts  and  51st  Pennsylvania  of  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Bell's  brigade,  through  the  woods  upon  the  enemy's  left  to 
turn  that  flank  of  the  position.  He  deployed  the  9th  and  89th 
New  York  to  the  right  to  support  Lieutenant  Colonel  Bell's 
attack,  and  held  the  6th  New  Hampshire  upon  the  left  of  the 
road  in  reserve.  The  leading  brigade  slowly  made  its  way 
through  the  wood  while  the  troops  in  front  occupied  the  atten- 
tion of  the  enemy.  The  engagement  now  became  sharp  and 
even  bloody.  Our  troops,  wearied  as  they  were,  stood  well  up 
to  the  work.  The  enemy  was  obstinate  in  holding  his  ground. 
General  Reno,  becoming  impatient  for  the  development  of  the 
attack  upon  the  right,  rode  over  to  that  part  of  the  line  to  has- 
ten forward  the  movement.  Meanwhile,  Colonel  Hawkins, 
ambitious  to  repeat  the  success  of  the  attack  at  Roanoke  Island, 
ordered  the  New  York  regiments  to  charge  the  enemy's  line. 
It  was  gallantly  but  ineffectually  done.  Across  the  broken 
-plain  the  men  went  with  their  wonted  enthusiasm.  But  the 
ditches,  with  the  enemy's  fire,  proved  a  serious  obstruction. 
Men  fell,  officers  were  unhorsed.  Colonel  Hawkins  was  wound- 
ed. Some  were  killed.  The  troops  were  broken  and  com- 
pelled to  retire.  But  now  the  regiments  on  the  right  had 
entered  into  the  action  and  delivered  their  fire  vigorously.  At 
the  same  time,  the  6th  New  Hampshire  advanced  silently  till 
within  short  musket  range,  when,  at  the  word  of  command,  the 
men  poured  in  a  terrific  and  destructive  volley,  still  advancing 
Elated  at  the  prospect  of  success  our  men  charged  furiousfy 
forward,  and  the  enemy,  pressed  in  front  and  flank,  at  once  gave 
way,  broke  and  fled  up  the  road,  carrying  with  him  his  artil- 
lery.    He  had  received  a  severe  chastisement  and  had  been 


1862.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA.  83 

made  to  believe  that  the  entire  "  Burnside  Expedition  was 
marching  upon  Norfolk."  A  thunder  storm  that  had  been 
gathering  during  the  fight  now  burst  forth,  and  amid  peals  and 
flashes  from  above  and  torrents  of  rain  the  battle  ended.  The 
opposition  with  which  General  Reno  had  been  met,  though  not 
altogether  unexpected,  was  yet  more  severe  than  had  been 
anticipated.  It  was  thought  at  the  time  that  the  enemy  had 
retired  to  a  new  and  stronger  position  a  few  miles  in  the  rear, 
where  he  had  defensive  works.  The  advantage  had  clearly 
been  on  our  side,  and  a  decisive  defeat  had  been  inflicted 
upon  the  enemy's  troops.  But  General  Reno  decided  not  to 
follow  up  his  success.  His  orders  distinctly  were  not  to  risk  a 
disaster,  and  as  the  greater  part  of  the  object  of  the  movement 
had  been  accomplished,  he  thought  it  best  to  return  to  his  trans- 
ports. The  troops  were  allowed  till  night  to  rest,  the  dead 
were  buried,  the  slightly  wounded  were  put  into  the  extempor- 
ized ambulances,  and  the  severely  wounded  were  left  in  charge 
of  Chaplain  T.  W  Conway  of  the  9th  New  York,  and  Dr. 
Warren,  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  21st  Massachusetts  under  a 
flag  of  truce.  The  line  of  retreat  was  taken  at  ten  o'clock,  P. 
M. — leaving  camp  fires  burning  brightly — the  troops  arrived 
at  the  landing  early  the  next  morning,  and  the  expedition  re- 
turned to  Roanoke  Island  and  Newbern.  The  entire  loss  was 
fourteen  killed,  ninety-six  wounded'and  two  missing.  Among 
the  former  was  Lieutenant  Chas.  A.  Gadsden,  Adjutant  of  the 
9th  New  York,  who  fell  during  the  charge  at  the  head  of  his 
regiment.  "  He  was  a  kind,  considerate  man,"  says  Colonel 
Hawkins  in  his  report  of  the  battle,  "  and  a  most  excellent  sol- 
dier, and  died  greatly  lamented  by  all  his  companions."  He 
had  been  but  five  days  in  the  service,  having  just  arrived  from 
New  York  as  the  expedition  was  preparing. 

It  was  afterwards  ascertained  that  the  enemy  was  more  badly 
defeated  than  was  at  first  supposed.  Had  General  Reno's 
men  been  more  fresh,  and  had  the  design  'of  the  movement  been 
to  go  further  towards  Norfolk,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  road 
was  laid  open  by  the  enemy's  hasty  retreat.     He  had  even  aban- 


84  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [Apbil, 

doned  a  formidable  battery  a  few  miles  beyond  the  scene  of  the 
engagement,  and  had  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  defences  of  Norfolk.  A  naval  expedition  under 
Lieutenant  Flusser,  with  the  gunboats  Lockwood,  Whitehead 
and  General  Putnam,  succeeded  a  few  days  afterwards  in  ob- 
structing the  mouth  of  the  Canal. 

During  the  month  of  April,  reinforcements,  to  the  number 
of  four  regiments  and  two  batteries  of  light  artillery,  arrived 
from  the  North.  The  need  of  cavalry  had  been  sorely  felt.  It 
could  only  be  supplied  by  using  the  horses  of  the  Rhode  Island 
battery,  which  had  been  brought  over  to  Newbern  after  the 
capture  of  that  place.  Scouting  and  patrolling  were  done  by 
the  members  of  the  battery,  and  were  sometimes  the  occasion 
of  covert  attacks  from  the  lurking  videttes  of  the  enemy. 
Among  the  reinforcements  now  arriving,  was  the  3d  New  York 
cavalry,  under  Colonel  S.  H.  Mix,  an  excellent  officer.  The 
17th  Massachusetts,  Colonel  Thomas  J  C.  Amory,  105th  New 
York,  Colonel  James  M.  Fuller,  and  2d  Maryland  regiments 
of  Infantry,  and  two  batteries  of  New  York  Light  Artillery 
completed  the  contingent. 

The  arrival  of  these  troops  induced  a  change  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  command,  which  was  effected  early  in  May.  The 
promotions  of  the  brigade  commanders  would  necessarily  im- 
ply an  increased  command.  Their  brigades  were  accordingly 
subdivided,  and,  with  the  additions  of  the  reinforcements, 
formed  three  divisions.  General  Foster's  division  was  organ- 
ized  in  two  brigades,  the  first  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Thomas  G.  Stevenson,  of  the  24th  Massachusetts  ;  the  second 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  T.  J  C.  Amory,  of  the  17th 
Massachusetts.  General  Reno's  two  brigades  were  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Edward  Ferrero,  of  the  51st  New  York, 
and  Colonel  James  Nagle,  of  the  48th  Pennsylvania.  Gen- 
eral Parke's  division  was  not  so  compact  a  command  as  that 
of  his  brother  officers.  The  garrison  of  Beaufort,  Fort  Macon 
and  neighborhood  was  brigaded  under  General  Rodman.  The 
garrison  of  Roanoke   Island  was  similarly    organized,   under 


1862.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA.  85 

Colonel  Hawkins.     General  Williams   retained   command  at 
Hatter  as. 

Thus  organized,  General  Burnside  was  prepared  to  hold 
Newbern  against  any  force  which  the  enemy  might  bring.;  'In- 
deed, the  enemy  was  even  rash  enough  to  believe  that  he  could 
reoccupy  the  place.  Having  fled  as  far  as  Kinston  after  the 
battle  of  Newbern,  and  finding  that  he  was  not  pursued,  he 
began  to  take  heart  again.  Concentrating  a  considerable  num- 
ber— some  reports  mentioned  fifteen  thousand  men — in  the 
neighborhood  of  Kinston,  he  began  to  make  threatening  demon- 
strations upon  General  Burnside's  position.  But  he  soon  as- 
certained that  it  was  too  strong  to  be  forced  by  direct  attack, 
and  that  General  Burnside  was  too  wary  an  antagonist  to  be 
surprised.  All  that  he  could  do,  therefore,  was  to  place  an 
army  for  the  purpose  of  observing  the  movements  of  our  forces, 
without  making  any  serious  attempt  to  dislodge  them.  The 
defences  of  Newbern  were  perfected,  and  its  commander  pre- 
pared to  carry  out  the  residue  of  his  original  instructions. 

But  the  movements  contemplated  by  those  instructions  de- 
pended upon  certain  other  movements  which  were  then  making 
in  a  different  quarter  of  the  vast  field  of  action.  The  capture 
of  Wilmington  would  unquestionably  have  been  a  very  serious 
blow  to  the  rebel  cause.  The  city  is  situated  upon  the  Cape 
Fear  river,  and  its  approaches  were  then  defended  by  formida- 
ble works.  Through  it  passed  the  important  line  of  seaboard 
communications  uniting  Virginia  with  the  Gulf  States.  It 
was  the  most  difficult  port  on  the  coast  to  blockade,  and  it 
thus  became  the  enemy's  greatest  entrepot  for  smuggled  goods. 
Were  our  troops  in  possession  of  that  point,  the  enemy's  com- 
munication with  the  extreme  South  would  be  severed,  and  his 
supplies  stopped.  Its  importance  was  clearly  appreciated  by 
the  rebel  government,  and  a  garrison  held  the  defences  suffi- 
ciently numerous  to  make  an  obstinate  resistance.  The  enemy 
also  held  all  the  interior,  and  could  thus,  in  a  short  time,  trans- 
port such  reinforcements  to  the  threatened  point  as  would 
make  an  attempt  :to  capture  it  a  very  doubtful,  as  well  as  haz*- 


86  EXPEDITION   TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [MAY, 

ardous  experiment.  Naval  cooperation  was  also  a  decided  de- 
sideratum. But,  at  that  time,  no  vessels  could  be  spared  for 
an  attack  upon  the  fortifications  along  the  banks  of  Cape  Fear 
river.  The  iron-clad  monster  that  lay  in  the  harbor  of  Norfolk 
effectually  neutralized  any  independent  naval  operations  along 
the  ^N  orth  Atlantic  coast.  The  fear  of  its  emergence  a  second 
time  from  its  retreat,  to  scatter  devastation  and  ruin  along 
Hampton  Pioads  and  the  entrance  of  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  the 
imperative  necessity  of  guarding  that  avenue  of  communication 
and  supplies  for  General  McClellans  army,  then  operating  on 
the  peninsula,  prevented  the  Flag  Officer  of  the  North  Atlantic 
Squadron  from  detaching  any  of  his  vessels.  The  gunboats 
already  in  the  North  Carelina  waters  were  not  armed  heavily 
enough  for  an  encounter  with  the  works  that  protected  Wil- 
mington. The  forces  that  General  Burnside  had  at  his  com- 
mand were  not  more  than  large  enough  to  reduce  the  place, 
even  if  the  help  of  the  navv  could  be  assured.  Without  the 
aid  of  the  fleet,  nothing  could  be  done.  Wilmington,  there- 
fore, could  not  at  that  time  be  added  to  the  territory, within 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Department  of  North  Carolina. 

Was  it  possible  to  penetrate  into  the  interior  of  the  State, 
and,  moving  upon  Goldsborough  and  Ualeigh,  cut  the  enemy's 
communications  at  either  or  both  of  those  points?  It  was  possi- 
ble under  certain  conditions,  but  not  otherwise.  If  those  condi- 
tions did  not  exist,  a  movement  into  the  interior  was  hazardous, 
even  to  the  extent  of  foolhardiness.  One  condition  was  that 
General  Buell  should  operate  towards  Knoxville  and  East 
Tennessee.  But  General  Buell  at  that  time  was  needed  to 
reenforce  General  Grant,  struggling  desperately  forwards  to- 
wards Corinth  and  West  Tennessee,  by  way  of  Fort  Donelson 
and  Pittsburg  Landing.  Another  condition  was  the  triumphant 
advance  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  up  the  Peninsula  between 
the  James  and  York  rivers.  But  General  McClellan,  in  com- 
mand of  that  army,  had  encountered  obstacles  which  rendered 
his  advance  anything  but  triumphant.  The  season  was  espe- 
cially unpropitious.     The   route  chosen  was  through  swamps 


1862.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA.  87 

and  muddy  plains,  rendered  almost  impassable  by  the  continu- 
ous rain.  The  enemy  was  sullen  and  defiant  even  in  retreat, 
giving  back  only  step  by  step,  and  under  the  pressure  of  su- 
perior numbers.  General  McClellan  proved  himself  to  be  slow 
and  unready  in  all  his  enterprises,  preferring  to  fight  de- 
fensive battles,  instead  of  pushing  the  enemy  away  from  his 
front  by  determined  attacks.  Even  in  success,  he  did  not  seem 
to  understand  the  proper  method  of  pressing  an  advantage. 
Another  condition  was  the  occupation  of  the  enemy's  attention 
at  Charleston  and  in  its  neighborhood.  But  in  the  Department 
of  South  Carolina,  little  was  doing  towards  a  speedy  termina- 
tion of  the  attempt  upon  the  stronghold  of  secession.  In  fact, 
the  movement  of  our  armies  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  seemed 
to  depend  altogether  upon  the  success  of  General  McClellan's 
movements.  The  plan  of  the  commanding  general  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  evidently  was  to  have  the  armies  at 
Newbern  and  Port  Royal  set  in  motion  to  cut  off  the  enemy's 
retreat,  when  he  should  be  driven  out  from  Eichmond.  Until 
that  most  desirable  consummation  should  be  reached,  the  other 
movements  were  not  to  be  expected.  General  McClellan  and 
the  Secretary  of  War  had  already  written  to  General  Burnside 
from  Yorktown,  that  no  offensive  movement  was  to  be  made 
into  the  interior  of  North  Carolina  until  the  issue  of  the  opera- 
tions on  the  lower  peninsula  had  been  determined.  When 
Yorktown  was  abandoned  by  the  enemy,  General  McClellan 
hoped  that  the  way  would  be  opened  to  Richmond,  and  that 
he  would  have  to  fight  but  one  decisive  battle  in  front  of  the 
coveted  point.  The  sharply  contested  fight  at  Williamsburg 
showed  him  that  the  enterprise  was  more  difficult  than  he  had 
supposed.  He  then  began  to  feel  that  there  were  largely  su- 
perior forces  before  him,  and  that  they  must  be  beaten  before 
any  successful  operations  could  be  made  farther  to  the  South. 
The  most  that  could  by  any  means  be  done  would  be  simply  a 
diversion,  and  the  authorities  in  the  field  and  at  headquarters 
were  undecided  as  to  whether  Winton,  Weldon,  or  Golds- 
borough  should  be  the  objective  point.     In  fact,  the  irresolution 


88  EXPEDITION    TO    NORTH    CAROLINA.  [May, 

and  delay  which  prevailed  in  regard  to  affairs  in  Virginia,  had 
their  natural  effect  upon  affairs  in  North  Carolina,  and  General 
Burnside  was  in  consequence  restricted  within  the  narrow  lim- 
its of  his  conquests  along  the  coast.  But  the  chief  condition 
of  moving  into  the  interior  was  a  supply  of  transportation  and 
cavalry  for  a  march  of  sixty  miles.  General  Burnside  had 
thus  far  marched  his  troops  and  fought  his  battles  without 
baggage  or  cavalry.  There  was  scarcely  a  wagon  in  the  De- 
partment, and,  without  means  of  transportation  for  his  sup- 
plies and  his  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  the  march  to  Golds- 
borough  could  not  be  made.  Colonel  Mix's  cavalry  relieved 
the  mounted  artillery  men  in  their  picket  duty,  and  supplied 
the  deficiency  which  had  previously  existed  in  that  arm  of  the 
service.  It  was  not  till  nearly  the  middle  of  May,  that  cavalry, 
wagons,  ambulances,  cars  and  locomotives  arrived  in  the  De- 
partment  for  the  purposes  of  a  long  campaign. 

On  the  tenth  of  May,  General  Wool,  stimulated  by  the  pres- 
ence of  the  President  and  the  Secretaries  of  the  Treasury  and 
War,  advanced  from  Fortress  Monroe  on  Norfolk.  The  city 
surrendered,  the  rebel  General  Huger  having  withdrawn  his 
command.  On  the  eleventh,  the  rebels  set  fire  to  the  Merri- 
mac,  and  she  was  blown  up  and  sunk  near  Sewall's  Point. 
This  event  opened  the  James  River  as  far  as  Drury's  Bluff, 
the  Elizabeth  River  and  the  canals  between  North  Carolina 
and  Norfolk  to  the  undisputed  possession  of  our  naval  and  mil- 
itary forces.  Had  General  McClellan  immediately  transferred 
his  base  of  operations  from  the  York  River  to  the  James  and 
made  an  attack  upon  Petersburg,  he  would  have  changed  the 
entire  character  of  his  campaign  and  indeed  of  the  whole  record 
of  the  summer  of  1862  in  Virginia.  The  perils  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy  swamps,  the  disastrous  and  bloody  battles  around 
Richmond,  and  the  terrible  scenes  of  the  retreat  to  Harrison's 
Landing  would  have  been  avoided.  Then  General  Burnside 
could  have  made  a  successful  demonstration  on  Goldsborough, 
and  it  is  safe  to  presume  that  the  most  brilliant  and  satisfactory 
results  would  have  followed'.     Indeed,  while  General  McClellan 


1862.]  DEPARTMENT   OF   NORTH    CAROLINA.  89 

was  at  Harrison's  Landing,  General  Burnside  suggested  an 
attempt  upon  Petersburg.  But  then  the  opportunity  had  passed, 
and  the  baffled  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  not  equal  to  such  a 
movement. 

During  the  military  operations  in  North  Carolina  the  Gov- 
ernment had  steadily  kept  in  view  the  political  pacification  of 
the  State.  With  this  end,  communications  had  passed  between 
the  authorities  at  Washington  and  the  Hon.  Edward  Stanley, 
once  a  member  of  Congress  from  North  Carolina,  and  a  popu- 
lar and  influential  man  there,  but  at  this  time  resident  in  Cali- 
fornia. The  correspondence  culminated  in  his  appointment  as 
Military  Governor  of  North  Carolina.  He  arrived  at  Newbern 
on  the  26th  day  of  May,  and  General  Burnside  at  once  turned 
over  to  him  the  jurisdiction  of  all  civil  and  political  affairs, 
assuring  him  of  the  most  cordial  cooperation  on  the  part  of  the 
military  officers.  It  was  a  manifest  relief  to  the  commanding 
general,  and  whatever  was  the  subsequent  success  of  the  ex- 
periment, it  had  the  merit  of  having  originated  in  a  humane 
spirit  and  was  conducted  with  good  and  patriotic  intentions. 

With  the  exception  of  Governor  Stanley's  arrival,  the  month 
of  May  was  a  comparatively  quiet  season  in  the  Department. 
On  the  14th  the  naval  expedition  visited  Plymouth.  The 
newly  arrived  troops  were  engaged  in  short  expeditions  into 
the  neighboring  country,  in  which  Colonel  Mix's  cavalry  bore 
a  conspicuous  part.  The  enemy  made  occasional  dashes  upon 
our  outposts  with  indifferent  results  upon  either  side.  Political 
events  were  of  unimportant  significance.  The  life  of  the  camp 
was  somewhat  monotonous  and  dull.  The  most  pleasing  event 
of  the  month  was  the  release  of  several  hundred  Union  prison- 
ers, in  accordance  with  the  cartel  at  Roanoke  Island.  Among 
these,  General  Burnside  was  glad  to  recognize  and  welcome 
several  members  of  his  old  command,  the  First  Rhode  Island. 
The  great  exploits  that  were  performing  elsewhere — at  New 
Orleans,  on  the  Mississippi,  in  Tennessee — had  no  parallel  on 
the  Atlantic  seaboard.  Finally  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson's  dis- 
comfiture and  pursuit  of  General  Banks  down  the  Shenandoah 

12 


90  EXPEDITION    TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [June, 

valley  and  across  the  Potomac  disturbed  the  plans  of  General 
McClellan  to  such  an  extent,  as  to  make  the  Peninsula  cam- 
paign a  decided  and  manifest  failure.  General  Jackson's 
movements  threatened  Washington,  caused  considerable  con- 
sternation at  the  War  Office,  shook  General  McDowell's  posi- 
tion at  Fredericksburg,  and,  at  a  later  period,  recoiled  on 
General  McClellan  with  disastrous  effect.  Our  officers  in 
North  Carolina  awaited  the  course  of  events — since  they  could 
do  nothing  more — with  as  much  patience  as  was  compatible 
with  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 

Another  month  of  inaction  followed.  The  monotony  of  life 
in  North  Carolina  was  somewhat  varied  by  a  smart  ensrao-ement 
which  took  place  at  Tranter's  Creek  about  ten  miles  from 
Washington  on  the  5th  of  .Tune.  Eight  companies  of  the  24th 
Massachusetts  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  F.  A.  Osborn,  a 
squadron  of  Colonel  Mix's  cavalry  and  a  battery  of  two  steel 
Wiard  guns  under  Lieutenant  William  B.  Avery,  manned 
by  twenty-five  men  of  the  Marines,  constituted  our  force. 
The  enemy  had  cavalry  and  infantry,  was  attacked  boldly  and 
received  a  severe  punishment.  The  affair  was  of  short  dura- 
tion but  was  very  creditable  to  the  officers  and  men  engaged  in 
it.  On  the  10th,  General  Burnside  visited  General  McClellan 
at  his  headquarters  in  front  of  Richmond.  This  visit  gave  to 
General  Burnside  some  explanation  of, the  inactivity  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  One  cause  at  least  existed  in  the  con- 
dition of  that  section  of  the  country.  The  roads  we're  found 
to  be  in  horrible  condition.  The  almost  continuous  rains  of  the 
preceding  months  had  made  almost  the  entire  Peninsula  like  a 
vast  morass.  Even  an  enterprising  general  would  have  found 
it  difficult,  amid  such  circumstances,  to  satisfy  the  hopes  of  the 
country. 

Another  event  of  more  personal  than  general  interest  was 
the  presentation  of  the  sword,  voted  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  Rhode  Island,  to  General  Burnside  in  recognition  of  the 
services  rendered  by  him  at  the  commencement  of  his  cam- 
paign.    The  weapon  and  its  appurtenances  were  exceedingly 


1882.]  DEPARTMENT   OF   NORTH   CAROLINA.  91 

elegant  in  design  and  finish,  and  happily  illustrated  the  good 
taste  of  the  manufacturer  and  the  generosity  of  the  State. 
Adjutant  General  E.  C.  Mauran  was  designated  by  the  Gover- 
nor of  Rhode  Island  to  present  the  sword,  and  he,  in  company 
with  Captain  Henry  Bedlow,  left  Providence  on  the  2d  day  of 
June  for  Newbern.  The  presentation  was  made  on  the  20th, 
and  the  pageant  is  described  by  those  who  witnessed  it  in  en- 
thusiastic terms.  The  garrison  of  Newbern,  all  the  Rhode 
Island  troops  in  the  Department  and  others  that  could  readily 
be  spared  from  their  posts,  were  concentrated  at  Newbern. 
About  eight  thousand  were  in  attendance.  A  grand  review 
took  place ;  and  amidst  the  waving  of  banners,  the  inspiriting 
notes  of  martial  music,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  large  multitude 
of  spectators,  the  ceremony  of  presentation  was  performed. 
Congratulatory  and  very  felicitous  addresses  were  gracefully 
and  eloquently  pronounced  on  both  sides,  and  a  banquet,  at- 
tended by  all  the  officers  present  in  the  city,  closed  the  festivi- 
ties of  the  day.  The  honor,  thus  worthily  conferred  and 
modestly  received,  found  readiest  response  in  the  hearts  of  the 
officers  and  men  of  the  army  in  North  Carolina,  who  attested, 
by  long  continued  cheering  and  other  demonstrations  of  joy, 
their  appreciation  of  the  compliment  thus  paid  to  their  beloved 
commander. 

But  this  concentration  and  review  of  troops  had  other  pur- 
poses than  those  of  display  and  compliment.  General  Burn- 
side,  weary  of  his  long  enforced  quiet,  had  determined  upon  a 
movement  into  the  interior.  His  supplies  had  been  collected, 
his  means  of  transportation  prepared,  his  cavalry  well  trained 
for  service,  and  his  troops  eager  for  marching  orders.  He  pro- 
posed to  strike  at  Goldsboro'  The  most  encouraging  accounts 
had  been  received  of  General  McClellan's  operations  towards 
Richmond,  and  hopes  were  entertained  of  the  triumphant  close 
of  the  campaign — and  the  war.  With  the  communications  cut, 
and  the  line  of  retreat  obstructed,  it  was  expected  that  the  rebel 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  would  fall  an  easy  prey  to  the  vic- 
torious Army  of  the  Potomac.     The  last  days  of  June  therefore 


92  EXPEDITION   TO   NORTH   CAROLINA.  [June, 

were  devoted*  to  the  work  of  final  preparation,  and,  on  the 
30th,  orders  were  issued  for  the  immediate  movement  of  the 
troops.  But  the  next  morning,  an  order  was  received  to  reen- 
force  General  McClellan  without  delay.  The  order  occasioned 
some  surprise  and  considerable  apprehension  for  the  safety  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  It  was  immediately  obeyed,  and 
the  troops  were  embarked.  But  now  came  another  sudden 
turn  of  affairs.  Colonel  Hawkins  at  Roanoke  Island  had 
heard,  through  certain  sources  of  information  which  he  deemed 
trustworthy,  that  General  McClellan  had  achieved  a  magnifi- 
cent success,  had  driven  out  the  enemy  from  Richmond  and 
had  occupied  that  city  with  his  army.  On  the  2d  of  July,  this 
information  was  transmitted  from  Colonel  Hawkins  to  General 
Burnside,  who  at  once  stopped  his  contemplated  voyage  to  the 
James  River,  expecting  to  receive  orders  to  resume  his  land 
movements. 

The  information  received,  however,  had  no  foundation  in  fact. 
Colonel-  Hawkins  had  been  deceived.  What  was  really  true 
was,  that  General  Lee's  entire  army  had  fallen  upon  General 
McClellan  with  great  fury,  and  had  forced  him  from  his  posi- 
tion in  front  of  Richmond.  The  army  of  the  Potomac  was 
struggling  in  the  memorable  and  disastrous  "  seven  days' fight," 
and  at  last  succeeded,  on  the  night  of  the  od  of  July,  in  reach- 
ing Harrison's  Landing.  Vague  reports  of  these  disastrous 
days  readied  General  Burnside  on  the  4th.  The  enemy  was* 
careful  to  put  them  in  exaggerated  and  discouraging  forms. 
But  General  Burnside,  still  hopeful,  was  not  willing  to  believe 
that  the  brave  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  yet  annihilated.  He 
knew  that  that  could  not  be,  and  he  did  not  entirely  credit  the 
intelligence  even  of  the  enemy's  decisive  victory.  What  he 
did  believe  is  best  expressed  in  the  language  which  he  used,  in 
addressing  the  Secretary  of  War,  on  the  5th  :  "  We  have 
Richmond  papers  giving  information,  or  rather  their  version  of 
the  events  up  to  ten  o'clock  of  the  night  of  the  1st.  After 
making  due  allowance  for  the  exaggerations,  we  are  led  to  be- 
lieve that  General  McClellan   has  made  a  successful  retreat  to 


1862.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   NORTH   CAROLINA.  93 

some  point  on  the  James  Eiver  nearly  opposite  City  Point, 
thereby  securing  a  new  and  better  base  of  operations,  in  which 
case  he  can,  I  imagine,  after  resting  his  army  and  receiving 
proper  reinforcements,  work  his  way  up  the  James  to  Rich- 
mond." In  this  communication  to  the  Secretary,  General 
Burnside  submits  three  propositions  for  the  disposal  of  his  own 
command,  which  sufficiently  indicate  his  ideas  of  the  situation  : 
"  First,  we  can  move  with  7,000  Infantry  (which  were  started 
the  other  day  for  the  James  River)  at  once  ; — at  the  same  time 
holding  with  tolerable  security  all  the  points  now  in  our  pos- 
session, together  with  the  railroad  from  this  place  to  Beaufort. 
Second,  or  we  can  send  8,000  Infantry  and  hold  all  these  points, 
but  cannot  protect  either  the  railroad  or  Beaufort.  The  latter, 
however,  can  be  protected  by  the  navy,  while  we  hold  Fort 
Macon.  This  move  will  recpiire  two  days'  notice.  Third,  or 
we  can  move  from  here  with  from  three  to  five  days'  notice  with 
the  entire  command,  except  the  garrisons  for  Hatteras  Inlet, 
Fort  Macon  and  Roanoke  Island,  placing  our  sick  at  the  latter 
place  and  leaving  this  place  to  be  protected  by  the  navy.  This 
would  involve  the  dismantling  of  the  two  very  strong  forts  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  city.  We  can  thus  add  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  a  force  of  11,500  Infantry,  one  regiment  of  Cavalry, 
20  pieces  of  light  Artillery,  and,  if  necessary  one  hundred 
wagons  and  a  supply  of  ambulances,  all  in  good  condition.  All 
these  propositions  presuppose  that  the  rebel  army  at  Richmond 
is  still  occupied  at  that  place  by  the  establishment  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  at  some  point  on  James  River  near  City  Point. 
If  such  is  the  case,  General  McClellan  would,  I  imagine,  cut 
off  the  enemy's  communications  with  North  Carolina  by  taking 
Petersburg,  thus  rendering  it  unnecessary  for  the  present  to  cut 
the  two  lines  in  the  interior  of  the  State." 

The  first  proposition  was  evidently  that  which  seemed  most 
feasible  to  General  Burnside  himself,  and  also  to  the  Secretary 
of  War ;  for  on  the  very  day  upon  which  the  communication 
above  referred  to  was  dated,  the  troops — eight  thousand  in 
number — began  to  leave  Newbern  for  the  James  River.     They 


94  EXPEDITION   TO  NORTH   CAROLINA.  [July, 

all  arrived  and  were  landed  at  Newport  News  on  the  8th. 
In  the  course  of  the  next  two  weeks,  this  force  was  joined  by  a 
small  division  from  Hilton  Head  and  its  neighborhood,  under 
the  command  of  Brigadier  General  Isaac  I.  Stevens.  Not  far 
from  twelve  thousand  men  were  thus  collected  at  Newport 
News,  available  for  a  reenforcement  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, and  for  further  operations  against  Richmond,  if  such  were 
deemed  advisable  by  the  Government.  But  this  force  was 
without  cavalry,  artillery,  wagons,  or  teams,  and  had  for  means 
of  transportation  by  land  only  a  few  ambulances  and  the 
officers'  horses.  General  Burnside's  headquarters  were  on 
board  the  small  steamer  Alice  Price. 

This  departure  from  Newbern  terminated,  in  effect,  General 
Burnside's  connection  with  military  operations  in  North  Caro- 
lina. He  still  retained  a  nominal  authority  there,  but  he  never 
returned  to  a  personal  supervision  of  affairs  in  that  quarter. 
He  finally  relinquished  all  jurisdiction  in  the  Department  on 
the  20th  of  August,  and  General  Foster  succeeded  to  the 
vacant  command.  General  Burnside's  farewell  order  was 
dated  from  Fredericksburg,  and  bore  witness  to  the  harmony 
and  reciprocal  good  will  which  had  so  eminently  characterized 
the  conduct  of  affairs  in  North  Carolina,  and  which  had  con- 
tributed so  fully  to  the  brilliant  successes  which  had  been  there 
achieved. 

Major  General  John  G.  Foster,  who  succeeded  General 
Burnside  in  the  command  of  the  Department  of  North  Carolina, 
had  already  won  for  himself  a  brilliant  reputation.  He  had 
been  for  a  considerable  time  in  the  service  of  the  country,  and 
had  always  been  found  to  be  a  faithful  and  skilful  officer.  He 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  in  the  year  1824,  and  was  ap- 
pointed from  that  State  to  the  United  States  Military  Academy 
at  West  Point.  He  graduated  from  the  Academy  in  1846,  the 
fourth  in  rank  in  a  class  of  fifty-nine.  Among  his  classmates 
were  McClellan,  Reno,  Seymour,  Sturgis  and  Stoneman,  of 
the  loyal  service,  and  "  Stonewall "  Jackson,  Wilcox  and 
Pickett,  of  the  rebel   army.     He  was  commissioned  as  brevet 


1862.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA.  95 

Second  Lieutenant  in  the  corps  of  Engineers,  July  1,  1846. 
He  bore  a  very  active  and  distinguished  part  in  the  Mexican 
war,  and  his  record  of  promotion  is  a  sufficient  testimony  to 
his  bravery  and  merit.  "  Brevet  First  Lieutenant,  August 
20,  1847,  '  for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  in  the  battles  of 
Contreras  and  Churubusco  ;'  severely  wounded  in  the  battle 
of  Molino  del  Bey,  September  8,  1847 ;  Brevet  Captain  from 
that  date,  '  for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  in  the  battle  of 
Molino  del  Eey  ;'  Second  Lieutenant,  May  24,  1848."  Such 
is  the  honorable  record  of  his  first  two  years  of  service.  His 
gallant  conduct  and  his  proficiency  in  military  knowledge 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  authorities,  and  in  1854,  pro- 
moted to  First  Lieutenant  on  the  first  of  April  of  that  year, 
we  find  him  Assistant  Professor  of  Engineering  in  the  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point.  He  was  appointed  in  charge  of  the 
fortifications  in  North  and  South  Carolina,  April  28,  1858, 
and  there  acquired  a  knowledge  that  became  serviceable  for 
subsequent  operations.  He  was  commissioned  as  Captain  in 
the  Engineers,  July  1,  1860,  and  was  brevetted  Major  on  the 
26th  of  December  of  the  same  year.  During  the  eventful 
winter  of  1860-'61,  and  the  following  spring,  he  was  stationed 
at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  was  one  of  the  officers  un- 
der Major  Anderson  in  the  defence  of  Fort  Sumter.  His 
loyal  and  fearless  bearing  on  the  occasion  of  the  bombardment 
of  Sumter,  is  fresh  in  the  recollection  of  all.  Returning  North 
after  the  surrender,  he  was  employed  on  the  fortifications  of 
New  York.  On  the  23d  of  October,  1861,  he  was  com- 
missioned as  Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers,  and  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  rendezvous  at  Annapolis  previous  to  the  arrival 
of  General  Burnside.  After  he  assumed  command  of  the  De- 
partment  of  North  Carolina,  he  was  engaged  in  conspicuous 
services  in  his  own  Department  and  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Charleston.  Subsequently,  as  will  be  hereafter  mentioned,  he 
commanded  the  Department  of  the  Ohio.  After  the  surrender  of 
General  Lee,  he  was  for  a  time  in  command  at  Tallahassee, 
Florida,   and  now  enjoys  the  rank  of  Major  in  the  Corps  of 


96  EXPEDITION    TO   NORTH    CAROLINA.  [JULY 

Engineers,  and  Brevet  Major  General  in  the  Army  of  the 
United  States.  As  a  genial  companion,  a  skilful  officer,  and 
an  honorable  and  brave  man,  General  Foster  holds  a  high  place 
in  the  affections  of  his  friends  and  the  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
countrymen. 

It  must  be  with  feelings  of  more  than  ordinary  satisfaction, 
that  General  Burnside  and  his  friends  can  look  back  upon  the 
record  of  his  campaign  and  his  administration  in  North  Caro- 
lina. From  the  moment  of  the  inception  of  the  plan  until  the 
time  of  departure  from  Xewbern,  the  story  is  one  of  uninter- 
rupted success.  The  terrible  storm  at  Hatteras  Inlet,  which, 
at  the  out.-et,  threatened  the  destruction  of  the  expedition, 
could  not  appal  the  heart  or  lessen  the  hope  of  the  earnest 
leader.  The  battle  of  Roanoke  Island,  so  skilfully  projected 
and  so  gallantly  executed,  was  not  only  a  source  of  grateful 
pride  to  the  commanding  general  ;  it  also  rave  new  courage 
and  satisfaction  to  the  country,  that  had  longed  for  some  deci- 
sive sucee.-s  in  the  Fast.  The  battle  of  Xewbern,  following 
swiftly  and  ending  in  the  victorious  assault  upon  a  very  strong 
and  well-chosen  position  of  the  enemy, justified  the  expectations 
of  those  who  had  perceived  the  promise  of  the  soldier  whose 
reputation  was  now  fairlv  won  and  firmly  established.  The 
reduction  of  Fort  .Macon  added  to  the  public  joy  and  the  pub- 
lic e-tiination  of  the  officer  under  whose  superintendence  it  had 
been  accomplished.  The  undisputed  occupation  of  the  North 
Carolina  coast  and  waters  north  of  Wilmington,  resulting  from 
these  achievements,  was  a  gain  to  the  cause  of  the  Union  not 
easily  to  lie  estimated.  That  it  was  not  followed  up  by  the 
capture  of  Wilmington  and  the  occu]3ation  of  Ealeigh,  was 
certainly  due  to  other  causes  than  those  which  had  their  seat 
within  the  limits  of  General  Burnside's  Department. 

But  wdiat  was  most  especially  gratifying  to  all  concerned, 
was  the  extreme  cordiality  and  even  affection  which  existed 
among  all  ranks  of  the  service — among  all  the  officers  and  men 
towards  one  another  and  their  commanding  general.  Jeal- 
ousy, that  bane  of  military  service,  was  unknown.     A  hearty, 


EngHjARRitchxe- 


Gen.  JOHN  G.  FOSTER. 


1862.]  DEPARTMENT   OF   NORTH    CAROLINA.  97 

cooperative  spirit  everywhere  prevailed.  Each  one  was  proud 
of  the  other's  success  and  good  fortune.  "  It  was  like  a  well- 
ordered  and  affectionate  family  at  Newbern,"  said  a  visitor  on 
his  return  from  North  Carolina  :  "  nothing  like  it  has  been 
known  among  us  during  the  war."  It  is  possible  that  this  was 
an  overstatement  of  the  case.  But  the  spirit  of  mutual  confi- 
dence and  concord  so  fully  prevailed,  as  to  put  out  of  sight  all 
minor  differences,  and  to  impress  all  witnesses  that,  in  the  De- 
partment of  North  Carolina,  discord,  envy  and  ill-will  were 
altogether  unknown !  General  Burnside  attributes  his  success 
to  the  prevalence  in  his  command  of  the  kindly  and  cordial 
feeling  for  which  it  was  distinguished,  and  at  all  times  bears 
the  heartiest  testimony  to  the  gallantry,  good  conduct,  and  co- 
operative zeal  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  with  whom  he  was 
associated. 


THE   AEMY 


THE     POTOMAC 


THE    AEMY 


THE     :POTOM  A.C 


CHAPTEE    I. 

THE   ORGANIZATION   OF  THE   NINTH   COUPS. 

/^\  ENERAL  BURNSIDE'S  first  care  after  landing  his 
\U~  troops,  and  seeing  them  comfortably  bestowed,  was  to 
ascertain  the  condition  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  to 
consult  with  General  McClellan  in  regard  to  future  operations. 
He  found  the  army  at  Harrison's  Landing  in  a  somewhat 
broken  condition  after  the  severities  of  the  campaign.  He 
found  the  officers  almost  unanimous  for  the  evacuation  of  the 
Peninsula,  and  the  concentration  of  all  the  forces  operating  in 
Virginia  in  the  neighborhood  of  Washington.  He  also  found, 
that  the  best  of  feeling  did  not  prevail  at  headquarters  be- 
tween General  McClellan  and  General  Halleck  who  had  been 
appointed  to  the  chief  command  of  all  the  armies  of  the  United 
States  on  the  11th  of  July.  The  correspondence  between 
General  McClellan  and  the  Secretary  of  War  was  not  con- 
ducted in  the  most  friendly  spirit,  though  there  was  no  open 
breach.  Of  course,  in  such  a  state  of  affairs,  a  certain  degree 
of  partizanship  prevailed  in  the  army  itself.  The  officers  and 
men  took  sides — some  for,  some  against  their  commanding  gen- 


102  ARMY    OF   THE    POTOMAC.  [JULY, 

eral.  The  policy  of  the  campaign  had  been  somewhat  freely- 
discussed  around  the  camp  fires  and  at  the  Corps  and  Division 
headquarters.  While  some  were  enthusiastic  in  their  support 
of  their  general,  others  were  ready  to  go  as  far  as  the  rules  of 
the  service  would  permit  in  cdndemnation  of  the  plans  and 
methods  of  the  campaign.  Coming  from  the  harmony  and 
concord  of  the  Department  of  North  Caroliua,  General  Burn- 
side  was  as  much  pained  as  surprised,  to  perceive  the  existence 
of  this  spirit  of  petty  jealousy  and  discord.  He  still  indulged 
the  hope,  that  the  differences  between  General  McClellan  and 
the  Secretary  of  War  might  be  composed,  that  better  counsels 
might  prevail  and  that  a  blow  might  be  struck  against  General 
Lee  and  his  army,  if  not  in  the  direction  of  Petersburg,  then 
immediately  towards  Eichmond  itself.  He  did  not  wholly 
agree  with  the  policy  of  evacuation.  But,  after  long  and 
anxious  consultation  with  General  McClellan  at  his  headquar- 
ters, in  company  with  Generals  Halleck  and  Meigs,  he  found 
that  General  Halleck  had  determined  upon  the  measure  and 
was  not  to  be  moved  from  it.  In  the  early  part  of  August  the 
step  was  finally  resolved  upon.  It  was  about  this  time,  that 
the  offer  of  the  command  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac  was 
made  to  General  Burnside,  and  was  by  him  declined.  He 
thought  that  General  McClellan  had  hardly  had  a  fair  chance. 
The  season  had  been  one  of  extraordinary  severity,  as  regarded 
the  movements  of  troops.  The  heat  had  been  intense,  the  rains 
almost  constant.  Terrible  battles  had  been  fought,  and  great 
losses  had  been  suffered  by  disease.  The  plans  of  the  campaign 
had  been  very  seriously  deranged  by  the  diversion  of  General 
McDowell's  corps  in  pursuit  of  General  Jackson.  The  armies 
in  Virginia  had  thus  been  separated,  and  General  Lee  taking 
advantage  of  the  fact,  attacked  the  right  and  rear  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  with  such  violence  as  to  force  it  from  its  base  to 
the  James  river.  Had  General  McDowell,  instead  of  marching 
to  Front  Royal  and  its  neighborhood,  left  General  Fremont  to 
take  care  of  General  Jackson,  and  hastened  to  Eichmond, 
forming  a    junction   with  General   McClellan  and    attacking 


1862.]  ORGANIZATION    OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  103 

General  Lee,  the  result  might  have  been  different.  The  place 
to  defeat  Jackson  was  not  among  the  Bull  Run  mountains  but 
in  front  of  Richmond.  Had  the  Secretary  of  War,  who  was 
then  acting  as  general-in-chief,  taken  advantage  of  Jackson's 
diversion,  and  vigorously  pushed  McDowell  forward,  there  can 
be  but  little  question,  that  the  raid  down  the  Shenandoah  would 
have  been  a  most  serious  misfortune  to  the  rebel  army.  As  it 
happened,  it  was  the  defeat  of  all  the  plans  and  operations  of 
our  own  generals.  To  give  General  McClellan  his  due,  it 
certainly  was  not  his  fault,  that  General  McDowell  was  not 
forced  into  the  gap,  and  the  rebel  lines  pierced,  broken  and 
destroyed.  Thus  reasoning,  General  Burnside  pleaded  that 
another  opportunity  might  be  given  to  the  unfortunate  com- 
mander of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  McClellan 
was  accordingly  retained. 

But  General  Lee's  movements  now  began  to  make  the  eva- 
cuation of  the  Peninsula  a  necessity.  Major  General  John 
Pope  on  the  14th  of  July  was  put  in  command  of  our  forces  in 
Virginia  north  of  General  McClellan's  position.  He  concen- 
trated his  army,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  the  Army  of 
Virginia,  and  pushed  boldly  southward,  declaring  his  intention 
to  subsist  upon  the  country  through  which  he  marched.  He 
reached  as  far  as  Cedar  Mountain,  in  Culpepper  County,  on  the 
9th  of  August,  and  had  a  sharp  engagement  with  General 
Jackson  without  decisive  results.  General  Lee  was  feeling 
our  position.  Contented  to  have  forced  General  McClellan  to 
the  James,  and  leaving  a  small  force  in  the  intrenchments 
around  Richmond,  the  commander  of  the  Rebel  army  began  a 
counter  movement  against  Washington,  which  was  now  de- 
fended only  by  General  Pope's  Army  of  Virginia.  To  save 
that  army  and  the  capital  itself,  a  junction  must  somehow  be 
formed  between  the  separate  forces.  It  was  decided  to  move 
General  Burnside's  command  to  Aquia  Creek  and  Fredericks- 
burg, and  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  Aquia  Creek  and  Alex- 
andria, as  seemed  most  convenient  at  the  time.  As  soon  as  the 
forces  joined,  all  the  troops  south  of  the  Potomac  were  to  be 


104  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [JULY, 

placed  under  the  command  of  General  Pope.  The  consolida- 
tion would  in  effect,  deprive  General  McClellan  of  a  command 
in  the  field,  and  place  General  Burnside  under  the  orders  of  his 
inferior  in  rank.  But  General  Burnside  knew  no  duty  but 
obedience  to  the  Government  when  his  country  was  in  peril, 
and  cheerfully  waived  his  own  rank  to  assist  General  Pope  in 
the  extremely  arduous  campaign  that  was  now  opening  before 
him. 

Congress,  in  the  last  days  of  the  session  of  1861-'62,  had 
passed  a  law  authorizing  the  President  "  to  establish  and  orga- 
nize army  corps  at  his  discretion,"  and  prescribing  that  the 
staff  of  the  commander  of  each  army  corps  should  be  "  one 
assistant  adjutant  general,  one  cpiartermaster,  one  commissary 
of  subsistence,  and  one  assistant  inspector  general  who  should 
bear  respectively  the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel ;  also  three 
aides  de  camp — one  to  bear  the  rank  of  major  and  two  to  bear 
the  rank  of  captain."  This  act  was  approved  by  the  President 
and  became  a  law,  July  17,  18G2.  General  Bdrnside  on  the 
18th  of  July  received  authority  to  organize  his  command  upon 
such  a  basis,  and  on  the  22nd  the  organization  was  made  and 
the  Nixtii  Akmy  Coups  took  its  place  in  the  history  of  the 
war — a  place  unsullied  by  a  single  act  of  dishonor !  Of  the* 
staff,  Captain  already  promoted  to  Major  Richmond,  Captains 
Goodrich  and  Biggs  were  advanced  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant 
Colonel.  Captain  Loring  was  appointed  Assistant  Inspector 
General  with  the  same  rank,  and  Captain  Cutting  was  appoint- 
ed Aide  de  Camp,  with  the  rank  of  Major,  their  commissions 
dating  from  the  day  of  the  organization  of  the  Corps.  Three 
divisions  were  formed,  under  the  command  respectively  of 
Generals  Reno,  Parke  and  Stevens.  On  the  26th  General 
Burnside  again  visited  General  McClellan  in  company  with 
General  Halleck,  and  on  his  return  made  a  flying  journey  to 
New  York,  where  he  remained  for  a  single  day  and  received  a 
most  cordial  and  enthusiastic  reception.  On  the  30th  he  was 
at  Washington,  and  on  the  next  day  he  returned  to  Newport 
News,  prepared  to  carry  out  his  part  of  the  contemplated  move- 


18()2.]  ORGANIZATION   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  105 

ments  with  all  needful  promptitude.  On  the  2d  of  August,  the 
Ninth  Corps,  numbering  now  nearly  thirteen  thousand  men, 
embarked  at  Newport  News,  and  on  the  night  of  the  3d  landed 
at  Aquia  Creek,  and  proceeded  immediately  to  Fredericksburg. 
General  King's  division  of  General  McDowell's  corps,  that 
had  been  stationed  there,  was  at  once  relieved  and  joined  the 
Army  of  Virginia  in  the  field.  The  Ninth  Corps  was  engaged 
in  holding  Fredericksburg,  and  guarding  the  line  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock, while  General  Pope  was  operating  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Culpepper  Court  House,  and  in  the  direction  of  Gor- 
donsville.  General  Burnside's  transports  were  immediately 
returned  to  the  James  River,  to  facilitate  the  removal  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  In  the  course  of  the  ensuing  week,  five 
batteries  of  artillery  and  one  regiment  of  cavalry  were  sent  to 
Aquia  Creek,  as  reinforcements  to  the  troops  on  the  Rappa- 
hannock, where  the  enemy  was  beginning  to  appear  in  force. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  General  Halleck  ordered  GeneralMc- 
Clellan  to  withdraw  from  the  Peninsula.  But  the  latter  officer 
now  began  to  make  excuses  and  protests  and  to  find  occasions 
for  delay.  At  one  time  there  was  no  sufficient  transportation. 
At  another  time  there  were  great  difficulties  in  removing  the 
sick  and  wounded.  Again,  the  army  was  not  in  condition  to 
move.  General  Halleck  became  impatient,  and  at  the  same 
time  somewhat  alarmed.  His  dispatches  breathed  an  acrimoni- 
ous spirit,; which  vexed  General  McClellan  and  did  not  certain- 
ly dispose  him  to  any  extraordinary  exertions.  Meanwhile 
General  Pope  was  embarrassed  by  the  rapid  movements  of 
General  Jackson's  corps,  and  pressed  by  the  constantly  accu- 
mulating forces  of  the  enemy.  The  timely  arrival  of  the  Ninth 
Corps  at  Fredericksburg  doubtless  saved  his  left  flank  from  be- 
ing turned  and  .his  entire  army  from  being  cut  off  from  its  com- 
munications with  the  Potomac. 

General  Burnside  returned  to  the  Peninsula  to  assist  General 

McClellan  in  expediting  matters,  and,  by  the  night  of  the  15th, 

two  corps  were  on  the  march  for  Yorktown,  while  other  troops 

were  embarking  at  Harrison's  Landing.     On  the  afternoon  of 

14 


106  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [AUGUST, 

the  16th,  "  the  last  man  had  disappeared  from  the  deserted 
camps,"*  and  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  left  the  scene  of 
its  unavailing  struggles  and  its  patient  endurance.  On  the  20th, 
the  army  was  ready  to  embark  at  Yorktown,  Newport  News 
and  Fortress  Monroe.  General  Keyes's  Corps  was  left  at  York- 
town  to  garrison  that  point.  It  was  not  however  till  the  28th 
that  General  Sumner's  corps,  which  had  been  the  last  to  em- 
bark, was  landed  at  Alexandria.  General  Burnside  was  sta- 
tioned at  Fredericksburg,  to  direct  the  movements  of  troops  in 
that- quarter  and  to  hasten  them  forward  to  General  Pope,  who 
was  now  sorely  pressed  by  the  enemy.  General  McClellan  re- 
paired to  Alexandria. 

The  month  of  August  was  the  gloomiest  month  of  the 
gloomy  summer  of  1862.  The  campaigns  that  had  been  so 
brilliantly  commenced  by  Grant  and  Foote  in  the  West,  Burn- 
side  and  Goldsborough  in  the  East,  and  Butler  and  Farragut 
in  the  South,  seemed  in  danger  of  ending  in  disaster  and  de- 
feat. The  interest  of  the  country  centered  upon  the  move- 
ments that  were  making  in  Virginia.  General  Lee,  released 
from  the  necessity  of  defending  Richmond,  was  hurling  his  en- 
tire army  upon  General  Pope,  who  with  forty  thousand  men 
was  endeavoring  to  hold  the  line  of  the  Rappahannock.  With 
the  aid  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  he  succeeded,  with  .admirable  per- 
sistence, in  sustaining  himself  until  reinforcements  began  to 
arrive  from  the  Peninsula. 

Perhaps  there  has  not  been,  in  the  history  of  the  war,  such 
confused,  and,  at  the  same  time,  such  sanguinary  fighting  as 
marked  the  retreat  of  General  Pope  from  the  Rapidan  to  the 
defences  of  Washington.  On  the  part  of  the  enemy,  General 
Jackson  seemed  ubiquitous,  and  harassed  our  troops  almost 
beyond  measure.  On  our  own  side,  some  of  the  officers  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  somewhat  sore  from  their  failure  on 
the  Peninsula  and  in  a  measure  dispirited,  appeared  to  be  con- 
tent with  doggedly  preventing  an  utter  defeat,  without  any  de- 


*McClellan's  Report,  p.  165. 


1862.]  ORGANIZATION    OP   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  107 

sire  to  achieve  a  victory.  General  Pope,  in  his  report,  partic- 
ularly complains  of  the  want  of  zeal  and  even  of  subordination 
on  the  part  of  General  Fitz  John  Porter,  whom  he  accuses  of 
"  flagrant  disregard  of  orders."*  General  Heintzelman's  corps 
rendered  very  efficient  service.  The  corps  of  Generals  Frank- 
lin and  Sumner  reached  the  scene  of  operations  only  in  time 
to  cover  the  retreat  and  receive  the  broken  and  defeated  re- 
mains of  the  Army  of  Virginia. 

But  whatever  may  be  said  of  other  parts  of  General  Pope's 
command,  that  portion  of  the  Ninth  Corps  which  came  under 
his  direction  did  its  whole  duty,  in  the  most  gallant  and  praise- 
worthy manner.  General  Reno,  who  commanded  the  corps  in 
the  field,  is  warmly  eulogized  by  General  Pope.  "  I  cannot 
express  myself  too  highly,"  says  the  commander  of  the  army, 
"  of  the  zealous,  gallant  and  cheerful  manner  in  which  Gen- 
eral Eeno  deported  himself  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
the  operations.  Ever  prompt,  earnest,  and  soldierly,  he  was 
the  model  of  an  accomplished  soldier,  and  a  gallant  gentle- 
man."! The  Ninth  Corps,  under  his  command,  had  most  im- 
portant tasks  to  perform.  In  the  early  part  of  the  movement,  it 
was  the  guard  of  the  left  flank  of  General  Pope's  army,  and 
watched  the  fords  of  the  Rappahannock  above  Fredericksburg 
with  the  utmost  vigilance.  At  the  last,  it  was  the  guard  of 
the  right  flank  as  the  army  fell  back,  and  fought  a  sharp  and 
sanguinary  battle,  scattering  the  enemy  and  forcing  him  away 
from  the  line  of  retreat. 

On  the  12th  of  August,  General  Reno,  with  his  command, 
joined  General  McDowell  near  Cedar  Mountain,  and  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  Rapidan,  holding  the  high  ground  on  this 
side  of  that  river  and  watching  the  fords  below.  On  the 
18th,  information  was  received  to  the  effect  that  the  ene- 
my was  massing  his  forces  below  the  ridge  upon  the  south 
bank,  with  a  view  to  crossing  the  Rapidan  at  Raccoon  Ford, 
and  getting  between  our  main  body  and  the  Potomac.     It  be- 

*  Pope's  Report,  p.  27.     t  Ibid.,  p.  28. 


108  ARMY   OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [August, 

came  necessary  for  our  army  to  fall  back  to  the  north  bank  of 
the  Eappahannock.  The  Ninth  Corps  was  to  return  by  the 
road  up  which  it  had  marched  a  few  days  before.  The  move- 
ment was  executed  with  entire  success,  during  the  night 
of  the  18th  and  through  the  day  of  the  19th.  The  enemy 
crossed  theTRapidan,  but  was  too  late.  When  he  arrived  at 
the  Rappahannock,  and  attempted  a  crossing,  he  found  that 
Kelly's  Ford,  his  most  available  crossing-place,  wt.s  guarded 
bv  the  Ninth  Corps,  which  was  ready  to  dispute  his  passage. 
Compelled  by  this  manoeuvre  to  give  up  his  scheme  of  cutting 
our  communications,  the  enemy  seemed  disposed  to  change  the 
plan  of  his  operations.  He  could  do  nothing  upon  our  left. 
He  decided  to  attempt  the  turning  of  our  right.  Almost  the 
entire  force  of  his  army,  which  had  been  concentrated  below 
and  had  been  baffled,  traversed  our  front  behind  the  woods  upon 
the  south  bank  of  the  Rappahannock.  His  heavy  columns  were 
plainly  to  be  discovered  by  our  lookouts,  and  clouds  of  dust 
rising  above  the  trees  of  the  forest  indicated  his  line  of  march 
towards  our  ri^lit.  General  Pope  resolved  to  attack  this  mov- 
ing column  on  the  morning  of  the  2od,  and  gave  orders 
to  that  eliect  to  General  McDowell,  in  command  at  the  river. 
But  much  rain  had  fallen  on  the  night  previous,  the  river  be- 
came suddenly  swollen,  the  fords  were  rendered  impracticable, 
the  trestle  bridge,  which  had  been  built  for  the  passage  of  the 
troops,  was  swept  away  and  the  railroad  bridge  was  threat- 
ened with  destruction.  The  attack  could  not  be  made,  and  the 
forces  under  General  McDowell  were  moved  up  the  north 
bank  of  the  riser  to  intercept  the  enemy  as  he  crossed  at  Sul- 
phur Springs.  But  the  enemy  had  been  too  rapid  in  his  move- 
ments, and  our  army,  leaving  the  river,  marched  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Warrenton  and  on  the  24th  occupied  that  town.  On 
the  25th  the  line  of  the  entire  army  was  formed,  reaching  from 
Warrenton  to  Kelly's  Ford.  At  the  latter  place,  upon  the  ex- 
treme left  was  stationed  General  Reno  with  the  Ninth  Corps, 
who  was  ordered  to  keep  open  the  communication  with  the 
forces  below  him  on  the  river.     On  the  26th,  however,  General 


1862.] 


ORGANIZATION    OF   THE   NINTH   CORPS.  109 


Eeno  was  at  Warrenton,  and  on  the  27th,  at  Fayetteville. 
The  enemy's  movements  had  not  yet  been  developed.  After 
crossing  the  Eappahannock  at  Sulphur  Springs  he  had  re- 
turned to  the  river,  and,  pushing  rapidly  forward  beyond  our 
right,  had  disappeared  from  our  immediate  front. 

But  General  Pope  was  not  long  in  doubt  respecting  his  in- 
tentions. On  the  night  of  the  26th,  our  scouts  brought  in  the 
intelligence  that  the  advance  of  the  enemy's  column  under 
Jackson  had  passed  through  Thoroughfare  Gap,  and  was  di- 
rected upon  our  depot  at  Manassas  Junction.  General  Pope 
threw  General  Hooker's  division  of  General  Heintzelman's 
corps  against  the  leading  division  of  the  enemy,  which  hap- 
pened to  be  General  E well's,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  27th 
a  smart  engagement  took  place  near  Bristow  Station.  Gene- 
ral Ewell  was  steadily  forced  back,  leaving  his  dead,  many  of 
his  wounded,  and  much  of  his  baggage  on  the  field.  During 
the  same  day  General  Keno  moved  his  corps  to  Greenwich,  to 
communicate  with  General  McDowell,  who  was  marching  on 
Gainesville.*   ' 

On  the  night  of  the  27th,  the  position  of  affairs  seems  to 
have  been  as  follows  :  General  Pope's  army  was  distributed 
on  the  different  roads  leading  to  Manassas  Junction  from 
Gainesville  on  the  west,  from  Warrenton  and  Greenwich  on 
the  southwest,  and  on  the  railroad  below  Bristow  Station. 
The  enemy,  under  Jackson,  was  at  and  around  Manassas  Junc- 
tion. Both  armies  were  cut  oflr  from  their  respective  bases. 
General  McDowell's  corps  was  between  Jackson  and  Thorough- 
fare Gap.  General  Jackson  was  between  our  army  and  Wash- 
ton,  but  was  isolated  from  the  main  body  of  the  enemy's  force, 
which  was  still  beyond  the  Bull  Run  mountains.  The  enemy 
had  made  a  most  audacious  movement,  and  one  which  should 
have  insured  his  ruin.     General  Pope  supposed,  and  with  good 

*  On  the  27th,  Captain  Pell,  of  General  Burnside's  staff,  was  taken  prisoner 
by  a  party  of  the  enemy,  while  engaged  in  some  perilous  duty.  He  was  re- 
leased in  the  course  of  the  following  month  and  rejoined  the  Ninth  Corps  soon 
after  the  battle  of  Antietam. 


110  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [AUGUST, 

reason,  that  Jackson's  force  would  either  be  captured  entire  or 
would  be  crippled  so  badly  as  to  prevent  any  further  aggres- 
sive movement  on  the  part  of  General  Lee.  Jackson  could 
not  retreat  directly  from  Manassas.  He  did  not  venture  to 
attack  our  forces  at  Bristow.  He  determined  to  retreat  to 
Centreville,  thence  retiring  northwards  to  Leesburg  or  through 
the  northerly  gaps  of  the  Bull  Bun  mountains,  or  west,  by  way 
of  Sudley's  Springs  and  Groveton,  trusting  to  the  chances  of 
beating  back  our  attack,  or  of  turning  our  left  flank,  or  of  be- 
ing joined  by  an  advancing  column  from  General  Lee's  main 
body. 

On  the  28th  General  Jackson  retreated  from  Manassas 
Junction  to  Centreville,  and  not  an  hour  had  elapsed  when  the 
advance  of  the  Ninth  Corps  had  reached  the  vacated  position, 
and,  with  the  divisions  of  Generals  Hooker  and  Kearney,  pushed 
forward  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  In  the  afternoon  General 
Kearney  drove  the  enemy's  rearguard  out  of  Centreville.  In 
the  meantime,  a  part  of  General  McDowell's  force,  marching 
upon  Centreville  from  the  west,  came  in  contact  with  the 
enemy  not  far  from  the  old  battle  field  of  Bull  Run,  and  a 
pretty  severe  engagement  ensued,  lasting  from  six  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  till  dark.  Thus  far  everything  was  working 
well,  and  General  Pope  was  sanguine  of  success.  If  his  entire 
command  could  be  concentrated,  his  forces  would  be  superior 
to  those  of  the  enemy.  But  it  would  appear  that  some  of  the 
corps  commanders  operated  mostly  at  their  own  discretion,  and 
paid  but  little  attention  to  the  orders  of  the  commanding  gen- 
eral. General  Sigel,  instead  of  marching  from  Gainesville  at 
daylight  on  the  28th,  as  ordered,  was  still  lingering  there  till 
the  day  had  considerably  advanced.  General  Fitz  John  Por- 
ter, who  had  been  ordered  up  from  Warrenton  Junction  on  the 
27th,  had  left  there  one  division  of  his  corps  at  least,  as  late 
as  daylight  on  the  28th,  and  had  proceeded  only  as  far  as  Bris- 
tow by  the  night  of  the  latter  day.  General  MeDowell  had 
detached  one  division  of  his  corps  to  proceed  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Thoroughfare   Gap,  by  which  his  -means   of  defence 


1862.]  ORGANIZATION    OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  Ill 

against  Jackson  were  sensibly  weakened.  General  King's 
division  of  the  same  corps  was  thus  compelled  to  fall  back  to- 
wards Manassas  Junction,  leaving  the  road  open  to  the  enemy's 
retreat.  On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  therefore,  affairs  did  not 
look  so  promising  as  on  the  day  previous.  The  issue  on  either 
side  was  doubtful.  If  General  Porter's  comparatively  fresh 
corps  could  be  got  into  action,  the  enemy  was  in  imminent 
danger.  If  General  Longstreet's  corps  could  make  a  junction 
with  Jackson,  the  enemy  could  not  only  secure  a  retreat  from 
his  present  perilous  position,  but  would  also  be  ready  to  take 
the  aggressive  at  some  more  favorable  point.  General  Porter 
was  moving  up  from  Bristow,  but  very  slowly,  as  the  roads 
were  encumbered  with  baggage  trains  and  artillery. 

On  the  29th,  the  enemy  stood  at  bay,  occupying  a  position 
near  Sudley's  Springs,  not  far  from  the  lines  which  our  own 
forces  held  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Pun.  General  Kearney 
had  kept  close  to  him  during  the  night,  to  prevent  his  retreat, 
and  in  the  morning  General  Sigel,  who  had  come  down  from 
Gainesville  during  the  preceding  day,  attacked,  with  consider- 
able vigor.  General  Jackson  fell  back  a  short  distance,  but  still 
showed  a  defiant  front.  General  Sigel  was  reenforced  by  Gene- 
rals Peno,  Hooker  and  Kearney,  and  the  battle  raged  with  fury 
until  noon,  neither  party  gaining  a  decisive  advantage.  Our 
line  of  battle  extended  from  a  point  a  short  distance  west  of 
the  Sudley's  Springs  road,  to  a  point  south  of  the  Warrenton 
turnpike.  General  Heintzelman's  corps  occupied  the  right, 
General  Reno  the  right  centre,  with  four  regiments  in  reserve, 
General  Sigel  the  left  centre,  and  General  Peynolds'  division 
the  extreme  left.  During  the  afternoon  until  four  o'clock,  but 
little  fighting  was  done,  except  when  the  enemy  attempted  to 
draw  off,  which  became  the  occasion  of  several  severe  skir- 
mishes. General  Pope,  in  the  meantime,  had  sent  orders  to 
Generals  McDowell  and  Porter,  who  were  near  Manassas 
Junction,  to  bring  up  their  corps  to  unite  with  the  remainder 
of  the  army.  General  McDowell  put  his  corps  in  motion,  and 
began  to  close  with  the  main  body  not   far  from  five  o'clock. 


112  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Aucust, 

General  Porter's  command  was  halted  within  sound  of  the  bat- 
tle, and  did  not  join  during  the  day.  At  half  past  five,  Gen- 
erals Heintzelman  and  Reno  were  ordered  to  fall  upon  the 
enemy's  left.  "With  such  spirit  was  the  order  executed,  that, 
by  seven  o'clock,  the  enemy's  flank  was  doubled  back  upon  his 
centre,  despite  all  his  efforts  to  withstand  the  attack.  If  Gen- 
eral Porter  had  now  come  up,  all  would  have  been  well.  But 
it  was  General  Longstreet  that  made  the  junction  with  the 
enemy's  force,  and  at  eight  o'clock,  after  a  hard  fight  of  two 
hours  and  more,  in  which  Heintzelman  and  Eeno  had  swept 
the  enemy  from  the  greater  part  of  the  field,  leaving  his  dead 
and  wounded  in  their  hands,  both  parties  ceased  the  struggle. 
The  first  brigade  of  General  Reno's  own  division,  composed  of 
the  48th  Pennsylvania,  6th  New  Hampshire  and  2d  Mary- 
land, Avas  conspicuous  on  this  day  for  the  persistence  with 
which  it  held  its  ground  when  assailed,  and  the  gallantry  with 
which  it  advanced  to  the  attack. 

The  day  had  been  very  warm,  the  troops  were  exhausted, 
and  supplies  were  very  short.  But  we  had  forced  the  enemy 
away  from  our  line  of  communications,  had  foiled  his  attempts 
to  get  between  us  and  Washington,  except  for  a  single  day, 
and  had  secured  the  Capital  from  attack.  During  the  night  of 
the  29th  the  enemy  was  largely  reenforced,  and  by  noon  on 
the  80th  the  superiority  of  numbers  was  clearly  on  his  side. 
General  Pope  had  expected  to  be  reenforced  from  Alexandria 
by  the  corps  of  Generals  Franklin  and  Sumner.  But  they  had 
moved  out  only  for  a  short  distance,  and  the  Army  of  Virginia 
could  now  expect  nothing  more  than  to  withdraw  to  the  de- 
fences of  Washington  with  as  little  loss  as  possible.  General 
Pope  conceived  that  the  best  method  to  secure  his  retreat  was 
by  attacking  the  enemy.  General  Porter's  corps  was  now  up, 
and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  the  battle  was  renewed,  and 
soon  became  as  severe  as  on  the  previous  day.  General  Reno 
and  the  Ninth  Corps  were  again  conspicuous  for  their  gallantry, 
and  fought  with  determined  valor.  Colonel  Ferrero's  brigade, 
composed  of  the  51st  Pennsylvania,  the  21st  Massachusetts, 


1802.]  ORGANIZATION    OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  113 

and  the  51st  New  York  regiments,  did  especially  good  service 
in  savin o-  the  left  wing  of  the  army  from  utter  defeat.  It  was. 
posted  on  a  hill,  to  the  rear  of  the  left  of  our  line,  and  with  the 
aid  of  Graham's  battery,  succeed  in  checking  the  triumphant 
advance  of  the  enemy.  The  enemy  made  three  successive 
charges  upon  this  position,  and  was  very  handsomely  repulsed, 
till  becoming  convinced  that  further  attempts  would  be  inef- 
fectual, he  drew  off  in  disorder.  But  it  was  useless  for  our 
army  to  contend  with  such  fearful  odds  as  the  enemy  was  pre- 
paring to  bring  up,  and  soon  after  dark,  having  lost  about 
three-fourths  of  a'  mile  of  the  field  and  having  suffered  se- 
verely, General  Pope  decided  to  fall  back  to  Centreville  and 
place  his  exhausted  troops  within  the  intrenchments  at  that 
place.  The  withdrawal  was  made  during  the  night,  slowly 
and  quietly,  the  enemy  making  no  pursuit.  The  Ninth  Corps 
covered  the  retreat.  Generals  Franklin  and  Sumner  joined 
from  Alexandria,  General  Banks,  who  had  been  guarding  the 
trains,  came  in  from  Bristow,  and  on  the  31st  the  entire  army 
rested,  after  its  unexampled  fatigues,  in  and  about  the  works 
at  Centreville.  The  enemy  contented  himself  with  sending  a 
reconnoitering  party  of  cavalry  to  observe  our  position  at  Cub 
Run. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  a  reconnaissance  sent  out  by  Gene- 
ral Sumner  developed  the  fact  that  General  Lee  had  not  yet 
given  up  his  plan  of  forcing  his  army  between  our  position  at 
Centreville  and  the  fortifications  around  Washington.  A  large 
body  of  the  enemy's  forces  was  observed  moving  towards  Fair- 
fax Court_  House.  General  Pope,  though  his  army  was  much 
broken  by  fatigue  and  scarcity  of  supplies,  promptly  adopted 
measures  to  meet  this  new  movement  of  the  enemy.  His  troops 
were  disposed  along  the  different  roads  leading  from  Centreville 
to  Fairfax  Court  House,  with  the  Ninth  Corps  in  advance  and 
nearest  the  enemy  at  Chantilly,  covering  the  main  road,  and 
supported  by  Generals  McDowell,  Hooker  and  Kearney.  The 
disposition  of  troops  was  made  by  the  afternoon  of  the  1st,  and 
the  enemy's  movement  towards  Fairfax  Court  House  was  at 
15 


114  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [September, 

once  checked.  He  prepared  for  battle,  and  about  six  o'clock 
made  a  vigorous  attack  upon  the  Ninth  Corp?.  A  terrific 
thunder  storm  came  on  at  the  same  time,  and  the  artillery  of 
Heaven  mingled  in  the  fray.  The  scene  was  sublime.  The 
flashes  and  reports  of  our  guns  were  answered  by  the  vivid 
fires  above  and  the  loud  reverberating  peals  that  shook  the 
skies.  Our  troops  made  fierce  and  furious  charges  against  the 
foe,  and  by  great  exertions  forced  him  from  the  field.  The  ac- 
tion terminated  soon  after  dark,  the  enemy  was  beaten  back,  and 
our  men,  having  cleared  the  road  and  rested  for  a  few  hours, 
pursued  their  march  towards  Fairfax,  arriving  at  daybreak  on 
the  2d  of  September.  But  the  severe  fight  at  Chantilly  was 
signalized  by  the  loss  of  two  of  the  bravest  and  most  skillful 
officers  in  our  army — Major  General  Philip  Kearny,  and  Briga- 
dier General  Isaac  I.  Stevens.  General  Kearny's  gallantry  is 
well  known,  and  it  is  not  necessary  in  these  pages  to  record  his 
worth,  his  dauntlessness  of  spirit,  his  manly  generosity  and  bis 
earnest  loyalty  to  the  country  and  the  flag  which  he  ardently 
loved. 

The  Ninth  Corps  mourned  the  death  of  General  Stevens,  as 
of  one  whose  future  was  bright  with  unusual  promise,  whose 
past  was  illustrious  with  brave  and  brilliant  deeds.  He  had 
but  lately  come  into  the  Corps,  but  he  had  secured  for  himself 
a  very  large  measure  of  esteem,  confidence  and  affection.  He 
was  born  in  Andover,  Mass.,  March  2.jth,  1817,  and  passed  his 
boyhood  much  as  others  do,  early  manifesting  a  decided  talent 
especially  for  mathematical  studies.  He  attracted  the  observa- 
tion of  the  leading  men  of  his  neighborhood,  and  was  appointed 
to  a  cadetship  in  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point.  He 
entered  the  Academy  in  18o5,  and  soon  distinguished  himself 
for  scholarship  and  manliness  of  character.  Facile  nrinceps, 
he  graduated  in  1839  at  the  head  of  his  class,  distancino-  his 
fellow  students,  leaving  his  next  competitor  at  least  fifteen 
marks  behind  him.  He  was  appointed  second  Lieutenant  in 
the  Corps  of  Engineers,  July  1st,  and  was  employed  in  super- 
intending the   erection  of  coastwise   fortifications,    especially 


1862.]  ORGANIZATION   OF   THE   NINTH   CORPS.  115 

attending  to  the  construction  of  a  fort  near  Bucksport,  Maine. 
He  was  promoted  to  a  first  lieutenancy  July  1st,  1840,  and  in 
the  years  1847  and  1848  was  adjutant  of  the  corps  to  which  he 
belonged.  In  the  war  with  Mexico,  he  was  actively  engaged 
on  the  staff  with  General  Scott  and  was  held  in  the  very  highest 
esteem  by  that  distinguished  captain,  who  spoke  of  him  as  the 
most  promising  officer  of  his  age  in  the  country.  He  partici- 
pated in  all  the  battles  on  the  plain  of  Mexico,  and  was  par- 
ticularly conspicuous  for  his  daring,  his  utter  insensibility  to 
fear,  his  boldness  in  reconnaissance,  his  coolness  in  action  and 
his  accurate  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  the  art  of  war.  He 
was  brevetted  Captain  for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  at 
Contreras  and  Churubusco,  Aug.  20,  1847,  -and  promoted  to 
Brevet  Major  Sept.  13,  in  the  same  year,  for  gallantry  at  Cha- 
pultepec  and  the  San  Cosmo  gate  of  the  city  of  Mexico.  At 
the  last  fight  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the  foot.  Returning 
home,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  assisted  in  the  Coast  Survey 
and  won  great  honor  by  his  skill  and  abilities.  When  Presi- 
dent Pierce  came  into  power,  he  placed  Major  Stevens  in  charge 
of  one  portion  of  the  Pacific  Rail  Road  survey.  He  resigned 
his  position  in  the  army  in  1853,  and  was  appointed  Governor 
of  Washington  Territory.  His  great  energy  and  administrative 
power  became  at  once  manifest.  He  was  occupied  in  develop- 
ing the  resources  of  the  territory,  and  reducing  the  Indian 
inhabitants  to  a  state  of  subjection  and  peace.  These  difficult 
affairs  were  conducted  with  great  humanity  and  consummate 
skill.  A  wagon  expedition,  which  he  organized,  commanded 
and  led  across  the  northern  plains,  made  him  famous.  In  1857 
he  was  elected  delegate  to  Congress,  and  there  as  elsewhere 
made  his  mark.  Opposed  to  Mr.  Lincoln  in  politics,  he  became 
Chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Breckenridg-e 
Democracy  in  the  campaign  of  1860,  little  supposing  that  his 
colleagues  were  plotting  the  ruin  of  the  Republic.  In  the 
gloomy  and  anxious  session  of  1860-'61,  he  was  in  familiar 
communication  with  President  Buchanan,  and  strenuously 
urged  the  dismissal  of  Messrs.  Floyd  and  Thompson  from  the 


116  AEMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Septembeb, 

Cabinet,  and,  moreover,  gave  his  valuable  counsel  to  General 
Scott  in  relation  to  the  defence  of  the  Capitol.  At  the  close  of 
the  session  he  returned  to  Washington  Territory,  and  there 
anxiously  awaited  further  developments.  The  bombardment 
of  Fort  Sumter  aroused  his  patriotic  feeling  to  intense  fervor. 
He  hurried  East,  offered  his  services  to  the  government,  and 
was  appointed  soon  after  the  battle  of  Bull  Run  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  79th  (Highlander)  Regiment  of  New  York  Volun- 
teers, made  vacant  by  the  lamented  death  of  Colonel  Cameron. 
He  was  promoted  to  Brigadier  General,  Sept.  28,  1861,  and 
was  sent  with  his  brigade  upon  the  Port  Royal  expedition.  He 
was  selected  to  command  a  force  sent  out  to  dislodge  the  enemy 
at  Port  Royal  Ferry,  and  met  the  rebel  forces  near  that  point 
on  the  1st  of  Jannuary,  1862.  When  General  McClellan  was 
reenforced  from  the  Department  of  the  South,  General  Stevens 
was  sent  in  command  of  the  troops  selected  for  that  purpose. 
His  division  was  incorporated  with  the  Ninth  Corps,  took  part 
in  the  campaign  as  already  described  and  fought  most  gallantly 
in  the  battle  of  Chantilly,  in  whicli  its  beloved  commander  met 
his  death.  He  had  seized  the  colors  of  his  old  regiment,  the 
T'Jth,  and  was  leading  on  a  desperate  charge  against  the  enemy, 
when  he  was  shot  directly  through  the  head,  immediately  fell 
and  expired  without  a  groan  or  murmur.  His  son,  the  adjutant 
general  of  his  division,  emulating  his  father's  bravery,  fell 
wounded  almost  at  the  same  time.  General  Stevens's  remains 
were  carried  to  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  where  his  wife's 
family  resided,  and  interred  under  the  direction  of  the  city 
authorities,  Sept.  10,  1862.  The  tears  of  whole  communities 
mingled  with  those  of  his  family  and  friends  in  sympathy  with 
their  loss.  The  statesman,  soldier,  hero,  lies  at  peace  upon  the 
shore  of  the  sounding  sea,  that  sings  his  requiem  forever  J 

After  the  battle  of  Chantilly,  the  enemy  made  no  further 
hostile  movement,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  3d  of  Sep- 
tember the  Army  of  Virginia  was  withdrawn  within  the  de- 
fences of  Washington.  General  Pope  on.  the  3d  of  September 
was  relieved  of  his  command  at  his  own  request,  and  General 


1862.]  ORGANIZATION   OF   THE  NINTH   CORPS.  117 

McClellan  resumed  the  control  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
General  Burnside,  having  remained  at  Fredericksburg  with  a 
small  force  until  all  the  reinforcements  landed  at  Aquia  Creek 
had  passed  through  to  General  Pope,  was  directed  to  evacuate 
his  position.  In  pursuance  to  orders  from  Washington,  he 
destroyed  machine  shops,  bridges  and  other  material,  and  on 
the  4th  of  September  he  embarked  a  portion  of  his  troops  and 
proceeded  to  Washington.  On  the  7th  the  few  soldiers  that 
were  left  on  guard  at  Aquia  Creek  were  brought  off,  and  the 
active  operations  of  the  army  were  transferred  to  other  and 
more  interesting  scenes. 


118  ARMY   OF  THE  POTOMAC.  [Septembeb, 


CHAPTEE  II. 


THE    CAMPAIGN   IN   MARYLAND. — SOUTH   MOUNTAIN. 

AFTER  the  l-etreat  of  General  Pope's  forces  and  their  ar- 
rival at  Washington  or  in  its  neighborhood,  the  enemy 
ceased  all  hostile  demonstrations  south  of  the  Potomac.  He 
drew  off  his  troops  and  disappeared  from  our  front.  But  al- 
though foiled  in  his  attempt  to  capture  or  destroy  the  Army  of 
Virginia,  and  thus  secure  possession  of  the  Capital,  he  had  by 
no  means  relinquished  the  object  of  the  campaign.  He  was 
still  resolved  upon  further  and  bolder  enterprises.  Passing 
through  the  gaps  of  the  mountains  into  the  Shenandoah  Val- 
ley, the  main  body  moved  rapidly  down  towards  the  ford  at 
Williamsport,  while  smaller  and  detached  bodies  moved  to- 
wards Leesburg  and  threatened  to  cross  the  Potomac  into  Ma- 
ryland at  the  neighboring  fords.  The  confusion  resulting  from 
the  untoward  character  of  the  operations  of  our  forces  in  Vir- 
ginia had  not  yet  subsided,  and  the  authorities  at  Washington 
seemed  undecided  as  to  the  question  of  the  command  of  the 
now  consolidated  army.  General  Burnslde  was  called  into 
consultation  with  the  President  and  General  Halleck,  and  the 
honorable  but  responsible  post  of  command  was  again  offered 
to  him.  It  was  again  declined,  and  General  Burnsicle  used  his 
best  endeavors  to  induce  a  renewal  of  confidence  in  General 
McClellan.  The  President  had  always  been  well  disposed  to- 
wards the  unfortunate  chief,  but  it  was  very  evident  that  no 
very  friendly  relations  existed  between  General  Halleck  and 
the  commanding  general  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The 
result  of  the  consultation  was  that  General  McClellan  was 
again  entrusted  with  the  direction  of  affairs.     He  at  once  dis- 


1862.]  CAMPAIGN   IN   MARYLAND.  119 

posed  his  garrisons  for  the  occupation  of  the  works  around 
Washington,  and  put  his  army  in  motion  to  meet  the  enemy  at 
the  point  of  his  new  attack.  His  command  consisted  of  the 
first  corps,  General  Hooker ;  second,  General  Sumner ;  one 
division  of  the  fourth,  under  General  Couch ;  one  division  of 
the  fifth,  under  General  Sykes ;  the  sixth,  General  Franklin ; 
the  Ninth,  General  Reno ;  and  the  twelfth,  General  Williams. 
The  first  and  Ninth  Corps  formed  the  right  wing,  and  were 
under  the  command  of  General  Burnside  who  had  the  ad- 
vance. The  second  and  twelfth,  with  General  Sykes's  divi- 
sion, formed  the  centre,  and  were  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Sumner.  The  sixth  and  the  detached  division  of  General 
Couch  formed  the  left,  and  were  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Franklin.  As  the  enemy's  plans  were  not  yet  developed, 
it  was  uncertain  whether  he  intended  by  crossing  the  Potomac 
into  Maryland,  to  turn  Washington  by  a  flank  movement 
down  the  north  bank,  or  march  on  Baltimore,  or  invade  Penn- 
sylvania. It  became  necessary,  therefore,  for  General  McClel- 
lan  to  move  cautiously,  keeping  his  left  flank  near  the  river, 
while  the  right  pushed  into  the  interior  of  Maryland  to  head 
off  any  offensive  movement  upon  Baltimore.  The  enemy  had 
the  advantage  of  moving  behind  the  Kittoctan  and  Blue  Pudge 
Mountains  in  Virginia,  and  the  South  Mountain  range  in  Ma- 
ryland. In  the  latter  State,  the  line  of  the  Monocacy  river 
gave  him  an  additional  means  of  defence  in  case  of  an  attack 
from  our  troops. 

On  the  3d  of  September,  the  Ninth  Corps  moved  out  on  the 
Seventh  street  road  and  encamped  just  outside  the  line  of  the 
defences  of  Washington.  On  the  6th,  the  Ninth  and  the  first 
corps,  now  acting  in  conjunction,  moved  out  to  Leesboro'  On 
the  9th  the  two  corps  were  at  Brookville,  and  on  the  11th  at 
Newmarket.  The  enemy,  after  having  occupied  Frederick  for 
a  day  or  two,  decided  not  to  dispute  the  passage  of  the  Mon- 
ocacy with  anything  more  than  a  mere  show  of  resistance. 
Nor  did  he  think  it  feasible  to  push  on  toward  Baltimore.  In 
fact,  General  Lee  had  ascertained  that  the  people  of  Maryland 


120  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Septembek, 

were  not  disposed  to  give  him  so  cordial  a  reception  as  he  had 
anticipated.  They  had  never  cherished  any  very  strong  love 
for  secession,  and  their  southern  proclivities  had  been  in  former 
years  strengthened  by  the  undue  influence  of  Virginia.  Sep- 
arated from  that  State  by  a  line  of  military  posts,  and  left  free 
to  follow  their  interests,  if  not  their  real  principles,  they  had 
early  in  the  struggle  developed  a  love  for  the  Union,  which 
had  become  more  powerful  as  the  war  went  on.  In  Western 
Maryland,  particularly,  the  loyal  sentiment  was  well  pro- 
nounced and  even  conspicuous.  General  Lee,  instead  of  an 
oppressed  and  down-trodden  people  who  would  welcome  him  as 
a  deliverer  from  federal  tyranny,  found  a  people  well  contented 
with  the  federal  rule,  disposed  to  pay  a  willing  obedience  to 
the  <_rn\  ernment  at  Washington,  and  regarding  him  and  his 
annv  as  intruders  and  invaders  ;  more  inclined,  in  short,  to 
speed  his  departure  than  to  hail  his  coming.  On  the  other 
hand,  our  own  troops  were  on  familiar  ground,  among  a  people. 
who,  not  sullenly,  but  gladly  acquiesced  in  their  presence. 
Thcv  derived  inspiration  and  courage  from  the  surrounding 
circumstances.  The  swamps  of  the  Chickahominy  had  been 
left.  The  hardships  of  the  Virginia  campaign  were  over.  They 
had  recovered  their  strength  in  the  more  bracing  air  of  the 
early  autumn.  Thcv  had  rested  from  their  unusual  fatigues. 
They  were  in  a  region  where  they  could  be  quickly  reenforced 
and  amply  supplied.  Moreover,  they  were  advancing  to  meet 
the  enemy  in  the  open  field,  and  at  a  distance  from  his  base. 
It  is  more  than  probable  that  the  two  differing  circumstances  and 
influences  operating  upon  the  two  armies  were  very  effective 
in  determining  the  result  of  the  canvpaign. 

On  the  12th  of  September  General  Burnside  entered  Fred- 
erick with  the  advance  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The 
rearguard  of  the  enemy  had  left  the  place  a  few  hours  before, 
and  our  cavalry  and  infantry  at  the  head  of  the  column  had  a 
smart  skirmish  in  the  streets  with  the  enemy's  cavalry  that 
was  covering  the  withdrawal  of  his  army.  In  this  skirmish 
we  lost  two  men  killed  and  seven  prisoners,  among  whom  was 


1862.]  CAMPAIGN   IN   MARYLAND.  121 

Colonel  Moore,  of  the  30th  Ohio,  who  led  the  charge.  Gen- 
eral Burnside's  reception  was  especially  enthusiastic.  The 
people  crowded  around  him,  covered  his  horse  and  himself 
with  flowers,  saluted  him  with  cheers  and  shouts  of  welcome 
and  manifested  their  joy  in  every  method  of  demonstration. 
General  McClellan's  reception,  at  a  later  hour,  was  equally 
cordial  and  demonstrative.  The  citizens  of  Frederick  felt  as 
though  they  had  been  delivered  from  a  great  affliction,  and  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  had  the  opportunity  of  enjoying  a  new 
sensation.  But  there  was  little  time  for  congratulations,  and 
the  army  pressed  forward  upon  the  heels  of  the  now  retreating 
enemy. 

General  Lee,  deciding  not  to  defend  the  line  of  the  Mono- 
cacy,  retired  through  the  passes  of  the  South  Mountain.  But 
he  had  also  determined,  before  quitting  Maryland  altogether,  to 
strike  a  blow  at  Harper's  Ferry.  General  McClellan's  left 
flank  had  been  drawn  away  from  the  river  and  was  approaching 
the  centre.  General  Lee,  in  leaving  Frederick,  after  crossing 
the  Kittoctan  range,  divided  his  army,  sending  General  Jack- 
son to  Sharpsburg,  across  the  Potomac  to  Martinsburg  and 
thence  to  Harper's  Ferry,  General  McLaws  directly  to  Mary- 
land Heights  to  attempt  the  capture  of  Harper's  Ferry  itself, 
and  General  Walker  with  a  division  across  the  Potomac  to 
Loudon  Heights.  Generals  Longstreet  and  D.  H.  Hill  were 
halted  at  Boonesboro',  and  held  that  place  and  the  passes  of  the 
South  Mountain  range  in  the  vicinity.  The  portions  detached 
were  to  return  after  accomplishing  the  tasks  committed  to  them 
and  join  the  main  body  in  |he  neighborhood  of  Boonesboro',  or, 
if  that  was  impracticable,  somewhere  behind  Antietam  Creek. 
General  Jackson,  with  his  accustomed  vigor,  performed  his 
allotted  work  so  well  as  to  compel  the  surrender  of  Harper's 
Ferry  on  the  15th,  with  its  garrison,  arms  and  stores. 

Had  Colonel  Miles,  in  command  at  Harper's  Ferry,  been 
able  to  hold  out  a  few  hours  longer,  he  would  have  been  re- 
lieved by  General  Franklin,  who  with  his  corps  supported  by 
General  Couch's  division,  had  carried  Crampton's  Gap  on  the 

16 


122  AEMT   OP  THE   POTOMAC.  [September, 

14th,  -after  a  severe  engagement,  and  bivouacked  on  the  same 
night  within  six  miles  of  the  beleagured  post.  But  on  the  next 
day,  the  enemy  formed  between  General  Franklin  and  the 
Potomac  in  line  of  battle,  greatly  outnumbering  our  forces 
and  preventing  any  further  progress  in  that  direction.  The  loss 
of  Harper's  Ferry  was  very  serious  and  effected  considerable 
derangement  in  the  movements  of  our  troops.  Whether  the 
post  could  have  been  promptly  relieved  and  saved  is  a  question 
which  it  is  not  designed  here  to  discuss.  General  McClellan 
wished  Colonel  Miles  to  evacuate  the  position  as  early  as  the 
10th.  But  General  Halleck -thought  otherwise  and  the  post 
was  held  —  and  lost.  A  large  number  of  prisoners  and  a  great 
amount  of  property  were  captured  by  the  enemy. 

While  the  left  wing  was  thus  making  its  way  painfully  and 
slowly  to  Burkettsville,  the  main  body  of  the  army,  having 
closed  up  its  centre  and  joined  it  with  the  right,  moved  on  the 
line  of  the  retreating  enemy,  and  the  advance  under  General 
Reno  bivouacked  at  Middletown  on  the  night  of  the  13th.  The 
enemy,  under  General  Longstreeet,  was  disposed  to  dispute 
the  passage  of  the  mountain,  and  General  Pleasonton's  cavalry, 
which  had  been  skirmishing  through  the  day  on  the  13th, 
found  the  enemy  in  force  at  Turner's  Gap.  It  became  evident 
that  a  severe  engagement  must  be  fought  before  our  forces 
could  cross  the  mountain.  General  Burnside  with  his  two 
corps  hurried  to  the  scene  of  the  impending  action,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  11th  prepared  to  deliver  battle.  The  Ninth 
Corps  was  now  large  and  in  admirably  fighting  trim.  It  was 
organized  in  four  divisions,  under  command  respectively  of 
Generals  Willcox,  Sturgis,  Eodman  and  Cox.  As  General 
Reno  was  in  command  of  the  Corps,  his  division  had  been 
assigned  to  General  Sturgis.  General  Stevens's  death  had 
placed  General  Willcox  in  command.  General  Parke  had  been 
appointed  Chief  of  Staff  to  General  Burnside  and  his  division 
was  placed  in  charge  of  General  Rodman  —  well  remembered 
in  the  corps  as  the  commander  of  the  4th  Rhode  Island  regi- 
ment.    He  had  taken  the  command  at  Fredericksburg  about 


1862.]  CAMPAIGN   IN   MARYLAND.  123 

* 

the  middle  of  August.  General  Cox's  division,  which  had 
belonged  to  the  Western  Virginia  army,  had  been  in  the  cam- 
paign with  General  Pope,  and  was  now  assigned  to  the  Ninth 
Corps.  It  was  known  in  the  army  as  the  "  Kanawha  Divi- 
sion." 

The  position  which  General  Lee  had  determined  to  defend 
was  naturally  very  strong,  and  he  doubtless  expected  to  hold 
General  McClellan's  army  in  check  sufficiently  long  to  enable 
his  detachments  to  return  and  rejoin  the  main  body.  The 
South  Mountain  rises  between  the  villages  of  Middletown  and 
Boonesboro',  and  through  Turner's  Gap  runs  the  turnpike  road 
from  Frederick  to  Hagerstown.  Near  the  summit  a  road  comes 
in  upon  the  turnpike  from  the  northerly  side,  called  the  "  old 
Hagerstown  road."  Another  road,  called  the  "  old  Sharps- 
burg  road,"  runs  about  half  a  mile  distant  from  the  turnpike 
on  the  left  or  southerly  side,  and  nearly  parallel  to  it  as  far  as 
the  crest,  when  it  bends  off  to  the  left.  They  are  both  common 
country  roads.  On  £the  turnpike,  pleasantly  situated  near  the 
crest  of  the  mountain,  stands  a  comfortable-looking  inn,  the 
Mountain  House.  The  place  is  one  of  great  natural  beauty, 
and  the  view  from  the  summit  commands  a  wide  and  most 
picturesque  landscape  —  the  mountains  of  the  Blue  Ridge  rising 
in  graceful  outline  upon  the  western  horizon.  The  road  from 
Middletown  winds  up  the  mountain  slope  with  a  gentle  ascent, 
and  is  commanded  at  several  points  on  either  side  by  the 
irregular  summits  of  the  mountain  crest.  Tracts  of  forest  land, 
amid  the  trees  of  which  companies  of  sharpshooters  could  find 
ready  concealment,  stretch  along  the  sides  of  the  mountain. 
Altogether  it  was  a  difficult  place  to  carry.  The  enemy  was 
in  force  on  the  three  roads  leading  to  the  summit.  But  very 
little  artillery  could  be  brought  iato  action  for  attack,  and  the 
contest  must  -mainly  be  decided  by  infantry.  General  Burn- 
side  had  marched  over  the  mountain,  while  in  command  of  the 
First  Rhode  Island  regiment  in  the  summer  of  1861,  and  had 
then  noted  its  military  capabilities. 

General  Pleasonton,  in  his  reconnaissance,  succeeded   early 


124  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [September, 

in  the  morning  of  the  14th  in  placing  Benjamin's  battery  of 
the  Ninth  corps  in  position  on  high  ground  left  of  the  turnpike, 
and  brought  a  well-directed  fire  to  bear  upon  the  enemy  posted 
in  the  Gap.  The  first  infantry  to  arrive  on  the  field  was  Gene- 
ral Cox's  division,  the  first  brigade  of  which  reached  the  scene 
of  action  at  nine  o'clock,  and  marched  up  the  old  Sharpsburg 
road.  It  was  immediately  followed  by  the  other  brigade,  the 
remainder  of  the  corps,  with  the  exception  of  General  Sturgis's 
division,  coming  up  early  in  the  day.  Of  the  Kanawha  divi- 
sion Colonel  Scammon's  brigade,  which  had  already  done 
remarkably  good  service  in  the  recent  campaign,  was  in  ad- 
vance. It  was  deployed  on  the  left  side  of  the  road  among  the 
brush,  and,  well  covered  by  skirmishers,  forced  its  way  up  the 
slope  in  despite  of  all  obstacles.  It  first  came  into  conflict  with 
General  Garland's  brigade  of  the  enemy's  troops,  whose  com- 
mander was  killed  at  the  opening  of  the  action.  It  gained  the 
crest,  notwithstanding  the  vigorous  attempts  of  the  enemy  to 
check  its  career  and  the  destructive  fire  of  a  battery  which 
poured  in  canister  and  case  shot  upon  its  right  flank. 

General  Crook's  brigade  followed  in  columns  at  supporting 
distance.  A  section  of  artillery  was  brought  up  with  great 
difficulty,  but  was  soon  silenced  by  the  enemy's  infantry,  with 
the  loss  of  its  commander  Lieutenant  Croome.  Another  section 
was  brought  up  about  two-thirds  of  the  way  and  succeeded  in 
maintaining  its  position.  The  troops  of  General  Cox's  division 
heroically  maintained  the  position  which  they  had  won,  and 
repeatedly  repulsed  the  enemy,  who  endeavored  to  drive  them 
away.  General  Willcox's  division  was  sent  up  the  same 
road  and  took  a  position  upon  its  right  commanding  the  turn- 
pike. Two  regiments  were  ordered  up  to  the  crest  to  support 
General  Cox.  A  section  of  Cook's  battery  was  brought  into 
action  near  the  turn  of  the  road.  But  these  dispositions  were 
not  made  without  great  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  to  pre- 
vent them.  At  the  moment  of  deploying  the  division,  the 
enemy  opened  a  very  severe  fire  at  short  range  enfilading  the 
road,  driving  off  Cook's  cannoneers  and  throwing  the  line  into 


1862.]  CAMPAIGN   IN   MARYLAND.  125 

a  temporary  confusion.  Two  regiments,  the  79tli  New  York 
and  the  17th  Michigan  —  a  new  regiment  scarcely  three,  weeks 
in  the  service,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  William  H. 
Withington —  rallied,  changed  front  under  a  galling  fire, 
moved  forward  in  the  most  gallant  manner  and  saved  the  guns. 
Order  and  confidence  were  soon  restored  by  this  timely  move- 
ment, and  the  division  deployed  on  the  right  of  General  Cox's 
division.  The  17th  Michigan  was  especially  conspicuous  on 
that  day  and  won  for  itself  great  renown,  by  its  steadiness  under 
fire  and  its  daring  in  the  charge.  It  came  out  of  the  battle 
with  a  loss  of  twenty-seven  killed  and  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
wounded  —  a  worthy  attestation  of  its  prowess.  The  36th 
Massachusetts  was  also  particularly  distinguished  for  the 
bravery  with  which  it  entered  into  the  battle  and  the  steadiness 
with  which  it  fought.  It  had  but  recently  arrived  at  the  seat 
of  war  and  was  thus,  early  called  to  receive  its  baptism  of  blood. 
Its  Colonel  Edward  A.  Wild  was  very  badly  wounded,  losing 
his  fight  arm  from  the  shoulder.  The  45th  Pennsylvania  is 
mentioned  by  General  Willcox  in  terms  of  high  commendation, 
and  the  old  regiments  of  Colonel  Ferrero's  brigade  added  new 
lustre  to  their  well-won  fame.  The  enemy  was  still  stubbornly 
contesting  our  advance,  but  so  fiercely  was  he  pressed  that  he 
was  obliged  to  draw  reinforcements  from  the  main  body  at 
Boonesboro'  General  Longstreet  came  up  and  assisted  Gene- 
ral Hill  in  holding  his  position.  Still  our  men  were  fighting 
bravely,  and  the  entire  aspect  of  affairs  promised  victory.  The 
two  divisions  of  Generals  Cox  and  Willcox  were  promptly  sup- 
ported by  Generals  Rodman  and  Sturgis,  with  their  entire 
commands  with  the  exception  of  two  regiments  of  the  latter  — 
the  2d  Maryland  and  6th  New  Hampshire  —  which  were  held 
in  reserve  upon  or  near  the  turnpike.  General  Rodman  sup- 
ported the  extreme  left  with  Colonel  Fairchild's  brigade,  and 
with  Colonel  Harland's  brigade  held  the  extreme  right  of  our 
line  in  this  quarter.  General  Sturgis  formed  his  division 
directly  in  the  rear  of  General  Willcox. 

Up  to  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  contest  had  been  en- 


126  ARMY   OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [September, 

tirely  carried  on  by  the  two  divisions  of  the  Ninth  Corps  under 
.Generals  Cox  and  Willcox.  General  Hooker's  corps,  which, 
with  the  Ninth,  was  under  General  Burnside's  direction,  ar- 
rived at  the  base  of  the  mountain  soon  after  noon,  and  was 
mainly  sent  up  the  road  to  the  right.  General  Gibbon's 
brigade  of  General  Hatch's  division,  with  a  battery  of  artillery, 
was  detached  for  an  advance  up  the  turnpike  itself.  At  two 
o'clock,  General  Meade's  division  of  General  Hooker's  corps 
moved  out  on  the  old  Hagerstown  road,  and  began  to  climb 
the  mountain.  It  was  deployed  on  the  right  of  the  road,  and 
was  followed  by  General  Hatch's  division,  which  deployed  on 
the  left,  and  by  General  Eicketts'  division,  which  brought  up 
the  rear.  An  attempt  was  made  to  get  up  some  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery, but  the  nature  of  the  ground  prevented.  The  road  way 
was  narrow,  and  the  ground  on  either  side  was  very  difficult 
for  the  movement  of  troops.  Stone  walls,  forest  land,  and 
fallen  timber  obstructed  the  progress  of  our  men.  But  they 
gallantly  and  persistently  went  forward,  and  soon  encountering 
the  enemy,  came  into  general  action  along  the  entire  front. 
The  enemy  was  steadily  beaten  back,  and  on  his  left  was  out- 
flanked by  the  skilful  manoeuvering  of  General  Seymour's 
brigade.  On  the  left  of  General  Hooker's  line,  General  Hatch 
bravely  urged  his  division  forward,  until  he  fell  wounded, 
when  General  Doubleday  took  command,  and  the  enemy's 
troops  in  that  quarter  were  driven  back  by  an  impetuous 
charge  of  General  Phelps's  brigade. 

By  the  continuous  and  steady  forward  movement  of  our 
troops,  we  had  thus  gained  commanding  positions  on  both 
sides  of  the  turnpike,  and  the  expulsion  of  the  enemy  was  ren- 
dered certain.  General  Longstreet  had  now  come  up  with  re- 
enforcements  for  the  enemy's  broken  lines,  and  established  his 
corps  with  Evans  on  the  left,  Hood  in  the  centre,  and  Drayton 
on  the  right.  But  even  these  fresh  troops  could  not  prevent 
our  victory.  About  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  General 
Burnside  ordered  General  Gibbon,  with  his  brigade  and  one 
section  of  artillery,  to   move   up  the  turnpike  and  demonstrate 


1862.]  CAMPAIGN    IN   MAETLAND.  127 

upon  the  enemy's  centre.  It  was  a  very  delicate  and  hazard- 
ous manoeuvre,  but  the  manner  in  which  it  was  executed  by 
General  Gibbon  elicited  the  highest  commendation  for  its  skill 
and  success.  General  Gibbon  "  advanced  a  regiment  on  each 
side  of  the  road,  preceded  by  skirmishers  and  followed  by  the 
other  two  regiments  in  double  column,  the  artillery  moving  on 
the  road  until  within  range  of  the  enemy's  guns,  which  were 
firing  on  the  column  from  the  gorge.  The  brigade  advanced 
steadily,,  driving  the  enemy  from  his  positions  in  the  woods  and 
behind  stone  walls."*  It  reached  the  top  of  the  pass,  received 
a  heavy  fire  on  the  front  and  both  flanks,  but  persistently  held 
its  own  and  repulsed  the  enemy's  attack.  General  McClellan, 
coming  on  the  field  late  in  the  day,  approved  the  arrangements, 
dispositions  and  orders  which  General  Burnside  had  made, 
and  was  in  time  to  confirm  the  order  already  given  by  General 
Burnside  for  the  entire  line  of  the  Ninth  Corps  to  advance. 
The  order  was  most  gallantly  obeyed  under  the  personal  di- 
rection of  General  Reno.  The  troops  moved  forward  with  en- 
thusiasm, pushed  the  enemy  from  all  his  positions  and  sent 
him  over  the  crest  in  confusion.  He  again  rallied,  again  at- 
tempted  to  take  the  lost  ground,  again  failed.  Even  the  com- 
ing on  of  the  evening  did  not  deter  him  from  the  ineffectual 
endeavor.  He  continued  firing,  with  occasional  charges  upon 
the  position  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  until  nine  o'clock,  when,  giv- 
ing up  the  struggle,  he  retreated  down  the  mountain,  defeated 
along  his  whole  line,  and  leaving  his  dead  on  the  field,  his 
wounded  unattended,  and  fifteen  hundred  prisoners  in  our 
hands.  It  was  a  most  gallant  and  well  contested  action,  and  re- 
flected the  highest  credit  upon  the  officers  and  men  of  the  first 
and  Ninth  Corps.  General  Burnside  fought  it  with  great  skill, 
moving  his  troops  with  consummate  promptness,  and,  heartily 
sustained  by  his  subordinates,  carried  a  most  difficult  posi- 
tion and  gained  a  victory  which  was  a  propitious  presage  of 
better  things  to  come.     It  was  the  first  of  a  series   of  conflicts 

*  McOlellau's  Report,  p.  199. 


128  AEMT    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [September 

with  General  Longstreet's  corps  of  the  rebel  army  in  which 
the  Ninth  Corps  was  engaged  on  different  fields.  The  forces 
engaged  were  nearly  equal,  with  about  thirty  thousand  men  on 
each  side.  The  enemy  had  greatly  the  advantage  of  position 
and  was  comparatively  fresh.  General  Lee  did  not  contem- 
plate fighting  a  pitched  battle  at  this  point.  The  instructions 
to  General  D.  H.  Hill  were  "  to  hold  the  position  at  every 
hazard  until  he  was  notified  of  the  success  "  of  Jackson's  move- 
ment. But  our  attack  was  so  vigorous,  that  General  Long- 
street  was  hurried  up  to  the  field,  and  the  engagement  was  much 
more  severe  than  had  been  anticipated.  The  enemy  confessed 
to  a  loss  of  "  quite  twenty-five  hundred  "  killed  and  wounded. 
Our  losses  were  three  hundred  and  twelve  killed,  one  thousand 
two  hundred  and  thirty-four  wounded,  and  twenty-two  miss- 
ing, of  which  were  to  be  numbered  in  the  Ninth  Corps  one 
hundred  and  forty-four  killed  and  five  hundred  and  forty-six 
wounded. 

The  Greatest  loss  of  all  was  that  of  General  Reno.  He  was 
killed  about  sunset,  while  reconnoitering  the  position  of  the 
enemy.  The  firing  had  ceased,  and  it  was  supposed  that  the 
battle  was  over.  General  Reno,  always  fearless,  was  now  par- 
ticular! v  unmindful  of  danger.  He  exposed  himself  to  the 
enemy's  view  and  was  instantly  shot  down.  He  fell,  as  he 
would  have  wished,  in  the  extreme  front.  Jesse  L.  Reno  was 
born  in  Virginia  in  1825,  but  in  e;rrly  life  removed  to  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  a  boy  of  quick  parts  and  impetuous  dispo- 
sition, ready  at  all  times  for  a  fight  or  a  frolic.  He  soon 
showed  decided  proclivities  for  a  military  life,  and  succeeded 
in  obtaining  an  appointment  as  cadet  in  the  United  States 
Military  Academy  at  West  Point.  He  entered  in  1842,  passed 
successfully  and  honorably  through  his  curriculum,  and  gradu- 
ated in  1846  in  the  Ordnance  Department,  eighth  in  a  class  of 
fifty-nine  members.  He  received  his  commission  as  brevet 
Second  Lieutenant,  July  1,  1846.  He  was  sent  to  Mexico 
and,  serving  temporarily  in  the  Artillery,  joined  a  battery  at 
Vera  Cruz.     He  was  advanced  to  the  full  grade  of  Second 


-,MAJ_-  G-E2ST.  Ji 


1862.]  CAMPAIGN    IN   MAETLAND.  129 

Lieutenant  March  3,  1847  He  accompanied  the  army  in  its 
triumphant  march  into  the  interior,  and  greatly  distinguished 
himself  for  his  gallantry  at  the  battle  of  Cerro  Gordo,  April 
18, 1847  For  his  conduct  upon  this  occasion  he  was  brevetted 
First  Lieutenant,  his  commission  dating  from  the  clay  of  the 
victory.  He  faithfully  served  through  the  summer  campaign, 
and  by  his  energy  and  intelligence  attracted  the  favorable  at- 
tention of  his  superior  officers.  At  the  storming  of  the  castle 
of  Chapultepec,  September  13th,  he  was  again  prominent  and 
was  severely  wounded  in  the  course  of  the  action.  For  his 
gallantry  in  this  action,  he  was  rewarded  by  a  promotion  to  a 
brevet  Captaincy.  Returning  home  in  1848,  he  was  appointed, 
January  9,  1849,  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics  at  West 
Point  and  held  the  position  for  six  months,  when  he  was  se- 
lected as  Secretary  to  a  Board  of  Artillery  officers.  He  was 
thus  engaged  for  nearly  two  years  in  making  experiments  with 
heavy  guns,  which  led  to  extremely  interesting  and  valuable 
results.  He  also  prepared  a  system  of  tactics  for  heavy  artil- 
lery. He  was  subsequently  detailed  upon  the  Coast  Survey, 
in  which  he  served  but  a  short  time,  when  he  was  ordered  to 
the  Engineer  Department,  and  proceeding  to  the  West,  super- 
intended the  construction  of  a  military  road  from  the  Big  Sioux 
river  to  St.  Paul's,  Minnesota.  He  was  made  a  full  First 
Lieutenant  of  Ordnance,  March  3, 1853. 

In  the  year  1854,  General  Reno  was  stationed  at  the 
Frankford  Arsenal,  Bridesburg,  Pennsylvania.  Here  he 
served  three  years,  when  he  accompanied  General  J.  E. 
Johnston,  in  his  expedition  to  Utah,  as  Chief  of  Ordnance. 
He  returned  in  1859,  was  on  duty  for  a  time  at  the  Mount 
Vernon  Arsenal  in  Alabama,  and  was  subsequently  sent  to 
Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  On  the  1st  of  July,  1860,  he  was 
promoted  to  a  full  Captaincy,  was  called  to  Washington  in  the 
early  part  of  the  war  and  was  commissioned  as  Brigadier 
General  of  Volunteers,  November  12,  1861.  His  distinguished 
gallantry  at  Roanoke  Island  and  Newbern  secured  his  promo- 
tion to  Major  General  of  Volunteers,   April  26,  1862.     His 


130  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [September, 

subsequent  career,  and  the  nature  of  his  services  to  the  date  of 
his  death,  have  been  made  sufficiently  familiar  to  the  reader  of 
these  pages.  In  all  the  acts  of  his  life  his  fine  and  generous 
qualities  of  character  were  made  manifest.  He  was  quick  and 
hasty  in  temper,  thought,  speech  and  act,  and  of  great  daring. 
Possibly  he  may  have  sometimes  been  impatient  of  results, 
and  so  may  have  exposed  himself  to  unnecessary  danger,  think- 
ing that  his  personal  example  might  stimulate  others  to  a  more 
prompt  and  vigorous  performance  of  duty.  But  he  was  always 
just,  always  ready  to  recognize  and  reward  merit,  if  equally 
ready  to  condemn  unfaithfulness.  Warm-hearted,  cordial, 
fearless,  he  was  a  thorough  soldier,  and  fully  deserved  all  that 
his  superiors  in  command  have  said  of  him.  General  Pope's 
testimony  in  his  behalf  has  already  been  adduced.  "  The  loss 
of  this  brave  and  distinguished  officer,"  says  General  McClel- 
lan,  "  tempered  with  sadness  the  exultations  of  triumph.  An 
able  general,  endeared  to  his  troops  and  associates,  his  death  is 
felt  to  be  an  irreparable  misfortune.  He  was  a  skilful  soldier, 
a  brave  and  honest  man."*  "  I  will  not  attempt,  in  a  public 
report,"  says  General  Burnside  in  his  report  of  the  operations 
of  his  command  in  Maryland,  "  to  express  the  deep  sorrow 
which  the  death  of  the  gallant  Beno  caused  me.  A  long  and 
intimate  acquaintance,  an  extended  service  in  the  same  field, 
and  an  intimate  knowledge  of  his  high  and  noble  character  had 
endeared  him  to  me  as  well  as  to  all  with  whom  he  had  served. 
No  more  valuable  life  than  his  has  been  lost  during  this  contest 
for  our  country's  preservation."  A  brave  and  gallant  gentle- 
man, indeed,  who  knew  no  fear  and  suffered  no  reproach ! 

The  officers  of  our  army  recognized  his  sterling  qualities 
of  head  and  heart.  Even  strangers  and  casual  acquaintances 
perceived  his  worth,  and  felt  the  impression  which  the  sense 
of  his  manliness  and  honor  made  upon  them.  The  public 
journals  throughout  the  loyal  States  bore  witness  to  his  fine 
nobility  of  character,  and   it   was  universally  agreed  that  the 

*  McClellan's  Report,  p.  197. 


1862.]  CAMPAIGN    IN   MARYLAND.  131 

loyal  cause  had  lost  one  of  its  best,  bravest  and  most  trust- 
worthy defenders.  His  remains  were  taken  from  the  field  where 
he  fell,  were  carried  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  his 
family  then  resided,  and  were  carefully  and  tenderly  consigned 
to  the  earth.  In  person,  General  Eeno  was  of  middle  stature, 
stout,  well  knit  and  compact  in  frame.  His  forehead  was 
high  and  broad,  his  face  wore  a  genial  expression,  his  eye 
beamed  upon  his  friends  with  rare  and  quick  intelligence,  or, 
kindled  in  the  excitement  of  conflict,  flashed  out  in  brave  defi- 
ance of  the  foe.  He  had  a  magnetic  kind  of  enthusiasm,  and 
when  leading  on  his  men,  he  seemed  to  inspire  his  followers 
and  make  them  irresistible  in  action.  A  dauntless  soldier, 
whose  like  we  rarely  see  ! 


132  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Sbpibmbee, 


CHAPTEK    III. 

THE     BATTLE     OF     ANTIETAM. 

FOR  the  battle  of  South  Mountain  which  General  Burn- 
side  fought,*  General  McClellan  received  the  hearty 
thanks  of  the  President.  Mr.  Lincoln,  immediately  upon  hear- 
ing the  gratifying  intelligence  of  the  victory,  sent  the  following 
kind  message  :  "  God  bless  you  and  all  with  you ;  destroy  the 
rebel  army  if  possible."  General  McClellan,  during  the  fight 
on  the  14th,  had  massed  his  entire  army,  with  the  exception  of 
General  Franklin's  command,  in  Middletown  and  its  immediate 
vicinity.  At  early  dawn  on  the  15th,  the  advance  of  the  pickets 
revealed  the  fact  that  the  enemy  had  retired  during  the  night 
from  the  mountain  and  its  neighborhood.  General  Mansfield 
had  arrived  at  headquarters  early  in  the  morning  after  the  bat- 
tle, and  immediately  assumed  command  of  the  twelfth  corps. 
That  Corps,  with  those  of  Generals  Sumner  and  Hooker,  the 
latter  of  which  had  been  detached  from  General  Burnside's 
command,  and  General  Pleasonton's  cavalry,  were  ordered  to 
pursue  the  enemy  on  the  main  road  through  Boonesboro'. 
General  Franklin  was  ordered  to  move  into  Pleasant  Yalley, 
and  occupy  Rohrersville.  General  Burnside  with  the  Ninth 
Corps,  now  under  command  of  General  Cox  who  had  succeeded 
General  Reno,  and  General  Sykes's  division,  was  directed  to 
march  by  the  old  Sharpsburg  road.  But  little  occurred  during 
the  day,  except  a  severe  skirmish  with  the  enemy's  cavalry  in 
the  village  of  Boonesboro',  which  resulted  in  killing  and  wound- 
ing a  number   and   capturing  two  guns  and  two   hundred  and 

*General   McClellan  in  his  first  dispatch  transmitting  intelligence   of  this 
battle  made  no  mention  whatever  of  General  Burnside. 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  133 

fifty  prisoners  from  the  retreating  foe.  The  infantry  followed 
promptly  on  the  heels  of  General  Lee's  rear  guard,  but  could 
not  bring  on  an  engagement.  The  enemy  carefully  retired, 
and  passing  throngh  Boonesboro'  and  Keedysville,  crossed 
Antietam  Creek  and  took  up  a  strong  position  upon  the  heights 
beyond.  General  Richardson's  division  of  General  Sumner's 
corps  was  in  the  advance  on  this  road,  and  immediately  upon 
approaching  the  enemy's  position  deployed  between  the  turn- 
pike and  the  old  Sharpsburg  road.  General  Sykes's  division, 
which  was  in  the  advance  of  General  Burnside's  pursuit, 
reaching  a  point  contiguous  to  General  Richardson's  position, 
deployed  upon  the  left  of  the  Sharpsburg  road.  The  remain- 
ing troops  occupied  the  two  roads  in  columns.  General  Mc- 
Clellan  states  that  he  was  desirous  of  engaging  the  enemy  on 
the  15th.  But  the  relative  positions  of  the  two  armies  forbade 
any  such  enterprise,  and  the  commanding  general  was  only 
able  to  post  his  batteries  and  mass  his  troops  near  and  on  both 
sides  of  the  Sharpsburg  road.  The  Ninth  Corps  occupied  the 
extreme  left  close  to  the  hills  on  the  southeast  side  of  the  valley 
of  the  Antietam.* 

Antietam  creek  at  this  point  is  a  sluggish  stream,  with  but 
few  fords  and  those  difficult  of  crossing.  Above  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Funkstown,  there  are  high  banks,  and  the  scenery 
up  and  down  the  river  is  quite  picturesque.  The  battle,  however, 
was  confined  to  the  region  adjacent  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
stream.  Here  the  creek  is  spanned  by  four  substantial  stone 
bridges,!  the  upper  one  on  the  Keedysville  and  Williamsport 
road  ;  the  second  about  two  miles  and  a  half  below  on  the 
Keedysville  and  Sharpsburg  turnpike  ;  the  third  about  a  mile 
below  the  second  on  the  Rohrersville  and  Sharpsburg  road  ; 
and  the  fourth  near  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  three  miles  below 
the  third.  Our  army  lay  along  the  eastern  bank  of  the  creek 
not  quite  down  to  the  bridges,  but  with  the  right  wing  com- 
manding the  two  upper  bridges  and  the  roads  towards  Funks- 

*  Oox's  Report,     t  McOlellan's  Beport,   p.    200. 


134  ARMY    OF   THE    POTOMAC.  [Septembeb, 

town  beyond.  General  Burnside  —  now  in  command  upon  the 
extreme  left  —  was  posted  opposite  the  bridge  upon  the 
Rohrersville  and  Sharpsburg  road,  but  at  some  distance  from  it. 
The  enemy  showed  evident  signs  of  standing  to  his  defence. 
General  Lee  had  carried  his  troops  across  the  creek,  had  sta- 
tioned them  in  a  commanding  position  between  that  and  the 
Potomac  river,  and  was  thus  within  easy  communication  with 
his  detachments  on  the  Virginia  side  near  Harper's  Ferry,  and 
manifested  every  sign  of  making  a  severe  fight.  His  campaign 
in  Maryland  had  thus  far  been  entirely  fruitless  with  the 
exception  of  the  capture  of  Harper's  Ferry,  and  he  could  not 
endure  to  retire  across  the  Potomac  without  making  some 
endeavors  to  retrieve  his  ill-fortune.  During  the  night  of  the 
15th  he  changed  his  position  and  threw  up  some  slight  intrench- 
ments.  Through  the  same  night  General  McClellan's  army 
was  occupied  in  getting  into  position  on  the  hither  side  of  the 
creek.  General  Franklin  remained  in  camp  near  Crampton's 
Gap  and  did  not  come  up  till  the  day  of  the  main  battle.  Two 
divisions  of  General  Fitz  John  Porter's  corps,  to  which  Gene- 
ral Sykes's  division  belonged,  were  on  the  way  from  Boones- 
boro'  and  Frederick,  but  were  making  slow  progress  on  account 
of  the  crowded  state  of  the  roads.  Supplies  of  provision 
and  ammunition  were  not  abundant,  as  the  troops  in  advance 
had  hurried  forward  with  great  celerity,  leaving  their  baggage 
train  to  follow  more  leisurely.  On  the  morning  of  the  lGth 
General  McClellan  was  not  ready  for  offensive  operations,  and 
the  enemy  showed  a  decidedly  threatening  front. 

The  bridge  in  front  of  the  Ninth  Corps  was  a  substantial 
structure  difficult  of  approach  on  either  side,  when  well  guard- 
ed by  a  resolute  enemy.  Our  line  had  been  formed  at  some 
distance  from  the  bridge,  and  it  was  thought  best  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  16th  that  it  should  be  moved  to  a  nearer  position, 
from  which  an  assault  could  be  made  with  greater  assurance  of 
success.  General  Burnside  accordingly  advanced  his  command 
to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  bridge,  and  proceeded  to  recon- 
noitre the  approaches    from    his  front.     During  the    day  his 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  135 

troops  were  placed  in  position,  and  bivouacked  at  night  in  line 
of  battle.  a  The  distribution  of  the  forces  was  as  follows  :* 
On  the  crest  of  the  hill,  immediately  in  front  of  the  bridge  was 
Benjamin's  battery  of  six  20-pounders  with  the  remaining  bat- 
teries in  rear  of  the  crest  under  partial  cover.  In  re#r  of 
Benjamin's  battery,  on  the  extreme  right,  joining  on  to  General 
Sykes's  division  was  General  Crook's  brigade  with  General 
Sturcris's  division  in  his  rear.  On  the  left  and  in  rear  of 
Benjamin's  batterv  was  General  Kodman's  division  with  Colonel 
Scammon's  brigade  in  support.  General  Willcox's  division 
was  held  in  reserve."  Nothing  of  especial  moment  occurred 
durino-  the  clay  in  this  part  of  our  lines.  The  enemy  dropped 
some  shells  in  the  midst  of  our  troops  at  intervals;  but  did  not 
succeed  in  doing  much  execution  or  causing  much  alarm.  On 
the  right  the  army  was  a  little  more  busv,  and  there  was  con- 
siderable fighting  before  our  formations  were  entirely  com- 
pleted. 

As  the  enemv  during  the  night  of  the  15th  had  contracted 
his  lines,  General  McClellan  decided  to  throw  a  portion  of  his 
forces  across  the  creek  on  the  16th,  and  occupy  the  opposite 
bank  and  the  ground  adjoining,  threatening  the  enemy's  left. 
The  morning  was  spent  in  making  preparations  for  the  intended 
movement,  and  in  the  afternoon  our  right  was  advanced.  About 
two  o'clock  General  Hooker  took  his  corps  over  the  creek  by 
the  upper  bridge  and  a  ford  in  the  immediate  neighborhood. 
The  command  struck  the  enemy's  left  soon  after  crossing  and  a 
spirited  skirmish  ensued.  The  enemy  gradually  gave  way,  and 
General  Hooker's  troops  rested  on  their  arms  upon  the  ground 
which  they  had  occupied.  During  the  night  General  Mans- 
field's corps  following  General  Hookers',  crossed  the  creek,  and 
bivouacked  about  a  mile  in  his  rear. 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th,  the  lines  of  our  army  were 
formed  as  follows  :  Across  the  creek  beyond  the  upper  bridge 
were  the  two  corps  of  General  Hooker  and  General  Mansfield, 

*Burnside's  Report. 


136  ARMY   OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [Septembek, 

the  latter  directly  in  rear  of  the  former.  On  this  side  the 
creek,  in  support  of  the  advanced  line,  was  General  Sumner's 
own  corps* — the  second — ready  to  move  over  as  soon  as  its 
services  were  required.  General  Fitz  John  Porter's  corps  oc- 
cupied the  centre,  and  was  posted  upon  the  main  turnpike 
leading  to  Sharpsburg.  General  McClellan  considered  this  as 
the  vital  point,  as  it  was  the  main  avenue  of  communication 
to  the  rear  and  to  the  position  of  our  supply  and  ammunition 
trains.  General  Franklin's  corps  was  now  upon  the  march 
from  Crampton's  Gap,  heading  directly  for  the  scene  of  the 
impending  engagement.  The  left  was  occupied  by  General 
Burnside,  with  the  Ninth  Corps  in  the  position  which  has  al- 
ready been  described.  The  enemy's  position  was  extremely 
well  chosen,  and  his  lines  were  formed  as  follows  :  Two  divi- 
sions of  General  Jackson's  command,  (commanded  respectively 
by  Generals  J  R.  Jones  and  Lawton,)  which  had  reached  the 
enemy's  position  on  the  morning  of  the  16th,  were  on  the  left 
flank  formed  in  two  lines.  General  D.  H.  Hill's  corps  occu- 
pied the  centre  ;  General  Long-street's  the  right.  The  batte- 
ries of  Poague,  Carpenter,  Brockenbrough,  Baine,  Caskie  and 
Wooding  were  posted  on  the  left  and  centre.  The  divisions  of 
Generals  McLaws,  B.  H.  Anderson  and  Walker  came  up  on 
the  morning  of  the  17th,  and  were  posted  in  support  of  the 
centre  and  left.  General  Hood's  command  had  been  eno-ao-ed 
on  the  previous  evening  with  General  Hooker's  advance,  and 
was  relieved  during  the  night  by  the  brigades  of  Generals  Law- 
ton  and  Trimble,  belonging  to  General  Jackson's  corps. f 
Hooker  and  Jackson  were  well  matched  in  fighting  qualities, 
and  their  troops  now  stood  face  to  face  ready  for  the  impend- 
ing death-struggle.  The  forces  on  either  side  were  very  nearly 
equal — not  far  from  one  hundred  thousand  men  in  each  army 
being  engaged  during  the  day  or  within  supporting  distance. 

General  McClellan   states  that   his  plan   of  battle  "  was  to 
attack  the  enemy's  left  with  the  corps  of  Generals  Hooker  and 


♦General  Sumner  was  in  command  of  the  right  wing,    f  Jackson's  Report. 


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18C3.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  137 

Mansfield,  supported  by  General  Sumner's  and,  if  necessary,  by 
General  Franklin's  ;  and  as  soon  as  matters  looked  favorably 
there,  to  move  the  corps  of  General  Burnside  against  the  ene- 
my's extreme  right  upon  the  ridge  running  to  the  south  and 
rear  of  Sharpsburg,  and  having  carried  that  position,  to  press 
alone  the  crest  towards  our  night."*  Whenever  either  of  these 
flank  movements  should  be  successful,  our  centre  was  to  be  ad- 
vanced with  all  the  forces  then  disposable.  To  accomplish  the 
first  object,  General  McClellan  had  a  force  of  fifty-six  thousand 
one  hundred  and  ninety-five  men.  To  accomplish  the  second, 
General  Burnside  had  at  his  disposal  thirteen  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  nineteen  men.  For  the  third,  there  were  nearly, 
if  not  quite,  twenty  thousand  men.  The  main  attack,  of  course, 
was  to  be  made  upon  the  enemy's  left,  for  which  purpose 
twenty-five  thousand  men — or  to  speak  accurately,  twenty-four 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighty-two — had  already  crossed 
the  creek,  and  were  eagerly  awaiting,  on  the  morning  of  the 
17th,  the  signal  to  attack. 

At  daylight  on  Wednesday,  September  17th,  the  great  bat- 
tle of  Antietam  was  opened  by  the  skirmishers  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Reserves  in  General  Meade's  division  of  General  Hooker's 
corps.  From  that  time  until  the  sun  set  and  the  darkness  put 
an  end  to  the  conflict,  the  struggle  went  on  with  varying  for- 
tune. The  opposing  lines  swayed  to  and  fro  in  the  writhings 
of  the  death-struggle.  At  the  close  of  the  day,  the  two  armies 
occupied  nearly  the  same  position  as  in  the  morning,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  which  had  gallantly  carried  the 
bridge  in  its  front,  moved  across  the  creek  and  occupied  the 
heights  beyond,  securing,  in  spite  of  the  enemy's  most  strenu- 
ous efforts,  the  most  advanced  position  of  any  corps  in  the 
army.  It  was  a  desperate  struggle,  a  bloody  day.  The  two 
armies,  whose  blood  had  dyed  the  waters  of  the  Chickahominy, 
again  confronted  each  other  along  the  banks  of  the  Antietam, 
and  fought  with  desperate  valor  another  of  those  great  battles 


*  McClellan's  Report,  p.  201. 
18 


138  ABMY   OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [September, 

which  decided  scarcely  anything  more  than  the  equal  courage, 
persistence  and  obstinacy  of  the  combatants.     A  few  guns  and 
flags   were  left  in  our   hands,  and   thirty  thousand  dead   and 
wounded  lay  scattered  over  the  fields  of  the  sanguinary  contest. 
The  main  attack  commenced  from  our  right.     The  whole  of 
General  Hooker's  corps  was  soon  engaged,  and,  fighting  with 
impetuous  courage,  was  successful  in  forcing   the  enemy  back 
from  an  open  field  in  front  of  its  position  to  a  line  of  woods  in 
his  rear.    As  the  battle  became  more  general,  it  became  more  de- 
termined.    The  enemy  hurried  up  his  troops  to  counteract  the 
temporary  check  which   he  had   sustained.     General   Hooker 
pushed  forward  the  supporting  corps  of  General  Mansfield  to 
secure  the  advantage  which  he  had  already  grained.     The  brave 
old   soldier,    General   Mansfield,   whose   age  might   well  have 
kept  him  from  the  field,  but  whose   spirit  Avas  as  ardent  as  the 
youngest  soldier  there,  led  his  troops  forward  to  the  contest. 
Scarcely  had   he  come  within   the   line   of  fire,  when  a  bullet 
struck  him,  and  he  fell,  mortally  wounded.     General  Williams 
took  command  of  the   corps  once  more  and  fought  it  through 
the  remainder  of  the  day.     The   piece  of  ground   over  which 
General  Hooker  was  attempting  to   force  the  enemy  was  most 
obstinately  contested.     For   two  hours   the  battle  raged  with 
great  fury,  and   without  material   advantage  to  either  party. 
Finally,  the  enemy's  line  was  driven  back  and   our  forces  ad- 
A'anced  into  the  woods.      General  Sumner's  corps  now  began  to 
arrive,  General  Sedgwick  leading;  the  command.     The  division 
in  advance  came  on  gallantly  in  three  columns,  deployed  into 
three  lines  when  near  the  enemy,  advanced  through  the  woods 
in  front,  and,  passing  through  them,  was  met  by  a  galling  fire 
as  it   attempted  to  emerge   into   the   open  field.     At  the  same 
time,  the  enemy  coming   up   on   the  left,  succeeded  in  turning 
the  flank  of  General  Sedgwick's  division,  and  taking  it  in  re- 
verse threw  the  troops  into  a  temporary  confusion.     They  gave 
way  towards  the  right  and  rear,  but  were  soon  rallied  again  by 
their  officers,  and  prevented  the  enemy  from  securing  any  fruits 
from  his  momentary  success.     So  fierce  now  became  the  resist- 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  189 

ance  of  our  men,  that  the  enemy  found  himself  compelled  to 
desist  from  his  advance,  and  again  retired  into  the  woods  from 
which  he  had  previously  been  dislodged.  During  the  assault 
General  Sedgwick  was  twice  wounded,  but  kept  the  field  until 
faintness  and  exhaustion  consequent  from  loss  of  blood  compelled 
his  withdrawal.  About  the  same  time,  or  just  previously, 
General  Hooker  was  severely  wounded  and  was  taken  to  the 
rear.  General  Meade  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  first 
corps.  Our  lines  were  rearranged  and  the  prevailing  confusion 
partially  remedied. 

In  the  meantime,  the  two  remaining  divisions  of  General 
Sumner's  corps,  under  Generals  French  and  Richardson,  had 
crossed  the  creek  in  the  rear  of  General  Sedgwick,  and  facing 
to  the  left,  advanced  against  the  enemy,  pushing  on  with  great 
visor  through  fields  of  corn,  over  fences,  stone  walls  and  other 
obstructions,  and  bravely  entered  into  the  fight.  Pressing  the 
enemy  before  them,  they  made  their  way  very  nearly  to  the 
crest  of  a  range  of  small  hills,  where  the  rebel  forces  were 
posted  in  a  sunken  road  and  adjoining  cornfields,  from  which 
issued  a  most  destructive  fire.  The  enemy  made  repeated  at- 
tempts on  both  flanks  and  in  front  to  drive  our  men  back,  but 
was  as  repeatedly  repulsed  with  great  slaughter.  For  four 
hours,  these  brave  troops  maintained  their  position,  when,  hav- 
ing exhausted  their  ammunition,  they  withdrew  immediately 
below  the  crest,  the  enemy  declining  to  follow.  In  the  course 
of  these  movements  and  operations  General  Richardson  was 
mortally  wounded,  while  directing  the  fire  of  his  artillery. 
General  Franklin  came  'up  with  his  corps,  between  twelve  and 
one  o'clock,  and  was  immediately  sent  over  to  the  right  to  re- 
enforce  General  Sumner,  whose  corps  had  suffered  a  loss  of 
more  than  one-fourth  of  its  men,  so  severe  had  been  the  con- 
test with  the  enemy  at  General  Sedgwick's  and  particularly 
General  French's  position.  But  after  General  Franklin  had 
got  into  position,  it  was  deemed  advisable  for  him  not  to  at- 
tack, but  only  to  do  little  more  than  to  relieve  the  troops  who 
had  been  engaged,  and  to   hold   his  men  in  readiness  to  repel 


140  ARMY   OF  THE  POTOMAC.  [September, 

any  assault  which  the  enemy  might  make.  One  brigade,  un- 
der Colonel  Irwin,  was  sent  forward  to  check  a  force  of  the 
enemy  which  was  advancing  down  the  road,  and  succeeded, 
though  with  great  loss,  in  accomplishing  its  object.  Between 
nine  thousand  and  ten  thousand  men  had  already  been  killed  or 
disabled  in  the  three  corps  engaged,  and  numbers  of  the  re- 
mainder were  badly  scattered  and  demoralized.  General  Sum- 
ner, who  was  in  immediate  command  upon  the  field  across  the 
creek,,  did  not  venture  to  risk  another  general  attack  with  the 
only  available  corps  on  the  right  wing,  and  the  enemy  seemed 
to  be  equally  averse  to  a  recommencement  of  the  severe  fight- 
ing. By  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  all  serious  hostilities  had 
ceased  upon  our  right.  General  Jackson  at  one  time  made  a 
movement  to  turn  our  right,  but  found  our  troops  and  our 
"  numerous  artillery  so  judiciously  established  "  in  our  front, 
"  as  to  render  it  inexpedient  to  hazard  the  attempt."  Desul- 
tory firing  was  kept  up  until  dark,  and  our  troops  rested  upon 
the  ground  which  General  Hooker's  corps  had  occupied  on  the 
previous  night,  and  upon  that  which  General  French's  division 
had  gallantly  won. 

The  centre  of  our  line  was  held  by  the  corps  of  General  Fitz 
John  Porter,  the  cavalry  division  of  General  Pleasonton  and 
the  Reserve  Artillery-  These  troops  were  occupied  during 
the  day  at  different  points,  with  the  exception  of  portions  of 
two  divisions,  which  remained  inactive.  General  Pleasonton, 
with  the  batteries  of  Captains  Robertson,  Tidball,  Gibson,  and 
Lieutenant  Haines,  supported  by  a  battalion  of  infantry,  ad- 
vanced across  the  second  bridge,  and  made  a  resolute  and  dar- 
ing attack  upon  that  portion  of  the  enemy  that  was  engaged 
with  General  Sumner's  left.  Tidball's  battery  especially  did 
great  execution.  The  boldness  of  the  movement  which  this 
battery  made  excited  the  admiration  of  the  enemy  himself,  for 
Captain  Tidball  showed  great  skill  and  daring  in  putting  his 
guns  in  an  advanced  position,  and  in  directing  his  case  shot  and 
canister  upon  the  masses  of  the  foe.  An  eye-witness  on  the 
enemy's  side  describes  the  great  accuracy  of  our  artillery  fire 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  141 

and  the  suffering  which  it  inflicted.  "  Dead  and  wounded  men, 
horses  and  disabled  caissons  "  were  visible  in  every  battery. 
By  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  however,  the  storm  of  battle 
had  lulled,  and  the  artillery  was  withdrawn.  Two  brigades  of 
General  Porter's  corps  were  held  in  reserve  on  the  right  centre, 
and  one  brigade  occupied  a  position  in  the  rear  of  General 
Burnside's  command,  on  the  hither  side  of  the  creek.  The 
forces  in  the  centre  numbered  a  little  over  seventeen  thousand, 
and  suffered  a  loss  during  the  day  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  killed,  wounded  and  missing. 

The  battle  on  the  left,  under  General  Burnside's  direction, 
was  very  sanguinary  and  desperate.  In  the  general  plan,  the 
work  assigned  to  the  Ninth  Corps  was  to  cross  the  stone  bridge 
immediately  in  front  of  its  position,  dislodge  the  enemy  and 
press  up  the  creek  upon  the  opposite  bank,  rolling  in  the  ene- 
my's flank  upon  his  centre,  if  it  were  possible.  That,  however, 
was  to  depend  in  some  measure  upon  the  success  of  our  right 
attack.  If  it  were  favorable,  General  Burnside's  movement 
was  to  be  vigorously  made,  with  the  hope  of  a  complete  victory. 
But  the  attack  upon  the  right  had  not  terminated  so  favorably 
as  had  been  expected.  The  enemy  still  contested  his  ground 
there  with  great  stubbornness.  Nevertheless,  General  McClel- 
Ian  decided  to  put  in  the  Ninth  Corps,  with  the  hope,  doubt- 
less, of  creating  a  diversion  and  assisting  our  troops  on  the 
right  to  make  a  more  successful  advance. 

About  the  time  of  General  Hooker's  attack,  the  enemy 
opened  with  artillery  upon  General  Burnside's  position,  but 
without  doing  much  damage.  Our  batteries  returned  the  fire, 
and  succeeded  in  silencing  the  enemy  and  blowing  up  two  of 
his  caissons.  Agreeably  to  the  order  of  General  McClellan, 
General  Burnside  formed  his  corps  and  held  his  men  in  readi- 
ness to  carry  the  enemy's  position,  but  awaited  further  direc- 
tions from  headquarters.  The  dispositions  of  his  troops  were 
as  follows  :  General  Crook's  brigade  of  the  Kanawha  division, 
and  General  Sturgis's  division  were  formed  immediatelv  in 
front  of  the    bridge  and   of  a  ford  immediately  above.     Their 


142  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [September, 

front  was  covered  by  the  11th  Connecticut  regiment,  Colonel 
T.  H.  W  Kingsbury,  thrown  out  as  skirmishers.  General 
Hodman's  division,  with  Colonel  Scammon's  brigade  of  the 
Kanawha  division  in  support,  was  posted  further  to  the  left, 
opposite  a  ford  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  below  the  bridge. 
General  Willcox's  division  was  formed  in  the  woods  in  rear  of 
the  other  lines.  Of  the  artillery,  Benjamin's  battery  occupied 
the  position  which  it  had  taken  on  the  previous  day,  Clark's 
and  Durell's  were  posted  on  the  right,  Muhlenburg's,  Cook's 
and  McMullen's  on.  the  left,  a  little  in  advance  of  Benjamin. 
The  batteries  on  the  left  overlooked  the  bridge  and  the  heights 
above  it.  One  section  of  Simms's  battery  was  with  General 
Crook's  brigade,  and  one  section  with  Benjamin.  The  battery 
of  Dahlgren  boat  howitzers,  attached  to  the  9th  New  York 
regiment,  covered  the  ford  opposite  General  Rodman's  position. 

At  ten  o'clock  General  Burnside  received  orders  to  attack, 
carry  the  bridge,  move  up  the  heights  above,  and  advance 
upon  Sharpsburg.  The  troops  were  immediately  put  in  mo- 
tion. 

But  the  order  could  be  given  more  easily  than  it  could  be 
executed.  The  enemy's  position  was  most  admirable  ibr  de- 
fend', and  the  part  of  his  line  which  General  Burnside's  com- 
mand was  to  assault  was  particularly  strong.  The  valley  of  the 
Antietain,  says  a  writer  in  the  rebel  army,  who  was  present  at 
this  battle,  "  has  not  a  level  spot  in  it,  but  rolls  into  eminences 
of  all  dimension,  from  the  little  knoll  that  your  horse  gallops 
easily  over  to  the  rather  hiidi  hills  that  make  him  tu£  like  a 
mule.  Many  of  the  depressions  between  these  hills  are  dry 
and  afford  admirable  cover  for  infantry  against  artillery.  Others 
are  watered  by  the  deep,  narrow  and  crooked  Antietam,  a 
stream  that  seems  to  observe  no  decorum  in  respect  to  its 
course,  but  has  to  be  crossed  every  ten  minutes  ride  which  way 
you  will.  Sharpsburg  lies  on  th.e  western  side  of  the  valley, 
across  which  from  the  northeast  runs  the  turnpike  from  Boons- 
boro'  Nearly  every  part  of  the  valley  is  under  cultivation, 
and  the  scene  is  thus  varied  into  squares  of  nearly  rioenedcorn 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  143 

the  deeper  green  of  clover  and  the  dull  brown  of  newly 
ploughed  fields.  Towards  the  north  are  dense  woods."*  In 
the  lower  part  of  the  valley,  near  the  bridge  which  General 
Burnside  was  to  carry,  the  hills  thus  described  rise  abruptly 
and  the  banks  of  the  stream  especially  upon  the  western  side 
are  nearly  precipitous.  They  effectually  command  the  eastern 
approaches  to  the  bridge.  Part  way  down  the  slope  is  a  stone 
wall  running  parallel  with  the  stream.  The  road  from  the 
bridge,  like  other  roads  in  a  similar  conformation  of  country, 
winds  up  the  bank  with  several  turnings.  At  each  of  these 
the  enemy  had  constructed  rifle  pits  and  breastworks  of  rails, 
rocks  and  timber.  The  woods  covering  the  slope  were  filled 
with  the  enemy's  riflemen,  and  his  batteries  were  posted  so  as 
to  enfilade  the  bridge  and  sweep  away  with  a  storm  of  shot  and 
shell  every  party  that  dared  attempt  its  passage.  The  bridge 
itself  is  of  no  great  width,  built  of  stone  with  three  stone 
arches  and  low  stone  parapets.  Many  brave  men  must  breathe 
their  last  before  a  lodgment  could  be  effected  among  the  woods 
and  on  the  heights  beyond.  Who  should  be  selected  as  the 
forlorn  hope  ? 

General  Burnside  ordered  General  Cox,  who  had  the  imme- 
diate execution  of  all  the  commands  on  the  field,  to  detail  Gen- 
eral Crook's  brigade  to  make  the  assault,  with  Colonel  Kings- 
bury's skirmishers  in  front  and  General  Sturgis  in  support. 
At  the  same  time,  General  Bodman  was  directed  to  cross  his 
division  at  the  lower  ford,  and  join  upon  the  left  of  the  force 
that  would  be  thrown  across.  General  Crook  bravely  made 
the  attempt  to  cross,  but  the  enemy  was  very  obstinate  in  dis- 
puting the  passage.  A  brigade  under  General  Jenkins,  and 
two  regiments  of  Georgia  troops — the  2d  and  20th — under 
Colonel  Cummings,  poured  in  a  destructive  fire.  General 
Toombs's  brigade  posted  near  the  bridge  strenuously  resisted 
our  approach.  The  enemy's  artillery  under  Major  Garnett, 
admirably  planted  on   the   opposite  heights,    made   rapid  and 

*Life  of  Stonewall  Jackson   by    Daniels,  p.  207. 


144  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Septembek, 

effective  discharges  upon  the  advancing  troops.  The  road 
occupied  by  our  troops  and  along  which  they  were  to  move 
goes  down  to  the  creek  about  three  hundred  yards  below 
the  bridge,  then  turns  at  right  angles  and  continues  along 
the  bank,  turning  again  at  right  angles  to  cross  the  bridge. 
The  road  was  swept  by  the  enemy's  fire  before  which  our  men 
recoiled,  were  broken  and  retired.  They  could  not  make  the 
passage.  General  Sturgis  was  ordered  to  make  a  detail  from 
his  division  for  the  second  attempt.  The  force  selected  this 
time  was  composed  of  two  regiments,  the  6th  New  Hampshire, 
Colonel  8.  G.  Griffin,  and  the  2d  Maryland,  Lieutenant  Colo- 
nel Duryea — good  regiments  both.  Unfortunately  their  posi- 
tion at  starting  was  not  such  as  promised  any  great  success. 
They  charged  from  a  point  at  a  considerable  distance  below  the 
bridge,  were  compelled  to  make  their  way  through  a  narrow- 
opening  in  "  a  firm  chestnut  fence,  which  there  was  no  time  to 
remove,  and  then  run  a  long  distance  in  the  face  of  a  well  post- 
ed enemy."*  They  performed  this  part  of  their  difficult  and 
perilous  duty  in  a  most  gallant  and  praiseworthy  manner,  but 
the}*  could  not  cross  the  bridge.  They  were  repulsed 'with 
considerable  loss.  Again  they  made  the  attempt,  and  again 
they  were  checked  and  prevented.  It  was  now  noon  and  the 
bridge  had  not  yet  been  wrested  from  the  tenacious  hold  of  the 
enemy.  General  McClellan,  not  appreciating  the  difficulty  of 
the  position,  seems  to  have  exhibited  an  unreasonable  amount 
of  impatience,  and  sent  repeated  orders  to  General  Burnside  to 
carry  the  point  at  all  hazards — which  General  Burnside  was 
earnestlv  endeavoring  to  do. 

Another  attempt,  more  decisive  and  more  successful  as  it 
eventuated,  was  now  made.  The  batteries  on  our  left  concen- 
trated their  fire  on  the  woods  above  the  bridge,  and  General 
Sturgis  was  ordered  to  make  a  second  detail.  General  Fer- 
rero'sf  brigade — consisting  of  the  51st  Pennsylvania,  Colonel 

*Colonel  Griffin's  Letter. 

tGeneral  Ferrero  received  his  commission  as  Brigadier  General  while  on  the 
field. 


1862.] 


BATTLE   OF   ANTIETAM.  145 


Hartranft,  the  51st  New  York,  Colonel  Potter,  the  21st  Mas- 
sachusetts, Colonel  Clark,  and  the  35th  Massachusetts,  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Carruth* — was  chosen.  The  two  leading  regi- 
ments' were  formed  in  the  rear  of  a  spur  fronting  the  bridge, 
which  partially  protected  the  men  from  the  enemy's  fire,  and 
eagerly  awaited  the  signal.  They  had  not  long  to  wait.  They 
crowned  the  crest  of  the  hill — the  gallant  Colonel  Hartranft 
leadino- — they  poured  down  the  road  to  the  river  bank,  disre- 
garding the  terrific  storm  of  fire  which  sadly  thinned  their 
ranks,  and  charging  impetuously  with  thebayonet,  crossed  and 
secured  the  bridge  so  long  and  so  obstinately  contested.  The 
other  regiments  of  the  brigade  followed  closely  upon  the  heels 
of  their  gallant  comrades.  The  prize  was  at  last  won,  though 
at  great  loss  of  life.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Bell  of  the  51st  Penn- 
sylvania  Eegiment,  a  gallant  soldier  and  amiable  gentleman, 
was  killed  by  a  piece  of  shell,  and  at  least  two  hundred  other 
brave  men  from  the  two  regiments  in  advance  fell  in  this  short, 
sharp  struggle. 

It  was  one  o'clock  when  the  bridge  was  finally  carried. 
General  Sturgis  promptly  brought  up  the  residue  of  his  division 
to  complete  the  success  which  had  been  so  bravely  achieved. 
The  regiments  separated  at  the  head  of  the  bridge  to  the  right 
and  left,  and  with  great  intrepidity  moved  up  the  steep  bank, 
crowning  the  height  and  driving  the  enemy  everywhere  before 
them.  Again  we  met  with  great  loss,  the  enemy  being  posted 
in  his  rifle  pits  and  behind  his  barricades  and  thus  enabled  to 
bring  an  infernal  fire  upon  our  men  at  easy  musket  range.  It 
was  literally  the  jaws  of  death.  Here  Colonel  Kingsbury  fell, 
a  most  brave  and  excellent  gentleman  and  soldier,  the  pride  and 
flower  of  the  class  of  1861  at  the  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point.  He  had  been  a  ward  of  General  Burnside,  and  his  many 
manly  qualities  had  endeared  him  to  all  who  knew  his  worth. 
We  had  paid  a  great  price  for  our  success. 


*  Lieutenant  Colonel  Carruth  was  wounded  in  this  battle  and  the  regiment 
was  badly  cut  up. 

19 


146  ARMY   OF  THE  POTOMAC.  [September, 

General  Crook's  brigade  crossed  immediately  after  General 
Sturgis's    division   and   took  position  in   its  rear   in  support. 
General  Rodman  at  the  same  time  threw  his  division  across  the 
ford  below,  after  a  sharp  fight  in  which  the  enemy  was  worsted. 
He  formed  his    command  upon  the  left  of  General    Sturgis. 
Colonel  Scammon's  brigade  followed  across  the  ford,  and  took 
position  in  the  rear  in  support.      Clark's  and  Durell's  batteries 
accompanied    General    Sturgis.       General  "Willcox's    division 
crossed  by  the  bridge  and  took  position  on  the  extreme  right  of 
the  line.      Cook's  battery  accompanied  General  Willcox  ;  Muh- 
lenburg's    and  part  of  Simms's  were   already   over   with  the 
troops  of  the  Kanawha  Division.     General   Cox  in  person  di- 
rected the  operations  of  the  corps  on  the  west  side  of  the  creek. 
These   movements  were  made  across  a  narrow  bridge   and  a 
difficult  ford,  and  in  the  face  of  a  sullen   and  obstinate  enemy, 
who  contested    every   foot    of  ground.     They    occupied    con- 
siderable time,  and  at  three  o'clock  the  entire  corps  stood  ar- 
rayed upon  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Antietam,   and  began  a 
further  advance  upon  the  enemy,  making  for  the   village    of 
Sharpsburg.     General   Sturgis's  division  was  held  upon  the 
heights  in  reserve,  and  our  batteries  on  the  hither  side  covered 
the  forward  movement  of  the  corps. 

The  order  to  advance  was  received  and  obeyed  by  the  troops 
with  great  enthusiasm.  They  pressed  forward  rapidly,  cheer- 
ing and  exultant,  as  they  had  been  accustomed  to  charge  in 
North  Carolina.  For  a  time  all  went  well.  General  Willcox 
with  General  Crook  in  support  moved  up  the  Shai'psburg  road 
on  both  sides,  and  his  advance  even  gained  the  outskirts  of  the 
town.  General  Rodman  pushed  on  in  his  own  fearless  style 
and  handsomely  carried  the  heights  on  the  left  of  the  town. 
The  9th  New  York  was  again  conspicuous  for  its  daring.  It 
made  a  heroic  charge  upon  one  of  the  most  formidable  of  the 
enemy's  batteries,  and  succeeded  in  capturing  it,  losing  in  the 
contest  nearly  half  its  men.  Out  of  little  more  than  five  hun- 
dred men  it  lost,  during  the  afternoon,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
of  whom  ninety-five  were  killed.     This  battery,  it  would  seem, 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  14T 

belonged  to  the  brigade  of  General  Toombs  who  was  highly  in- 
censed at  its  capture.  The  story  told  by  one  of  the  southern  wri- 
ters is,  that  "  the  General,  instantly  dismounting  from  his  horse, 
and  placing  himself  at  the  head  of  his  command,  briefly  told  his 
men  in  his  effective  way  that  the  battery  must  be  retaken,  if  it  cost 
the  life  of  every  man  in  his  brigade,  and  then  ordered  them  to 
follow  him.  Follow  him  they  did  into  what  seemed  the  very  jaws 
of  destruction,  and  after  a  short  but  fierce  struggle  they  had 
the  satisfaction  of  recapturing  the  prize."*  Doubtless  there 
was  some  rhodomontade  of  this  description  on  the  part  of  Gene- 
ral Toombs.  But  the  recapture  was  due  to-  something  more 
than  the  gallantry  of  this  redoubtable  brigade. 

The  enemy,  now  relieved  from  our  attack  upon  his  left, 
which  had  in  effect  ceased  at  three  o'clock,  hurried  down  re- 
enforcements  of  infantry  and  artillery,,  hoping  to  overwhelm 
the  Ninth  Corps,  isolated  as  it  was  from  the  rest  of  the  army. 
General  Lee  felt  assured  that  if  General  Burnside's  command 
could  be  driven  off,  victory  would  rest  with  them.  "  It  is 
certain,"  says  Mr.  Pollard  in  his  history  of  the  war,  "  that  if 
we  had  had  fresh  troops  to  hurl  against  Burnside  at  the  bridge 
of  Antietam,  the  day  would  have  been  ours."  The  fresh  troops 
came,  but  they  did  not  retake  the  bridge.  They  were  "  hurled 
against  Burnside  "  in  vain.  General  A.  P  Hill's  light  division 
of  Jackson's  corps,  with  fresh  troops  from  Harper's  Ferry,  ap- 
peared upon  our  left  about  four  o'clock  and  began  a  vigorous 
attack.  Our  lines  were  contracted  and  reformed  to  meet  this 
new  danger.  General  Rodman's  division,  which  had  been 
obliged,  by  the  inequalities  of  the  ground  and  other  circum- 
stances, to  bear  more  to  the  left  than  was  originally  intended, 
had  become  outflanked  and  was  hard  pressed.  It  was  re- 
called from  its  advanced  position,  and  ordered  to  move  more  to 
the  right  to  close  up  our  lines  in  that  quarter.  The  movement 
was  made  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  in  a  very  steady  manner, 
but  it  was  fatal  to  the  commanding  general  of  the   divison  and 

*Life  of   Stonewall  Jackson. 


148  ABMY   OP   THE   POTOMAC.  [SEPTEMBEK, 

his  aide  de  camp,  Lieutenant  Eobert  H.  Ives,  Jr.  General 
Eodman  was  struck  by  a  minie  ball,  which  penetrated  his 
left  lung-,  and  knocked  him  from  his  horse.  Lieutenant  Ives 
was  struck  by  a  fragment  of  shell,  which  gave  him  a  frightful 
wound  in  the  thigh  and  killed  his  horse.  Both  officers  were 
carried  to  the  rear  and  received  every  attention,  but  their 
wounds  proved  mortal,  and  they  died  a  few  days  after  the  bat- 
tle. The  division,  now  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Haw- 
kins of  the  9th  New  York,  completed  its  movement,  but  in 
the  forced  withdrawal  of  Colonel  Harland's  brigade,  the  cap- 
tured battery  was  abandoned,  and  again  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy.  The  time  was  critical.  Reinforcements  of  the 
enemy  continued  to  press  upon  the  field,  and  our  left  flank  was 
in  great  danger  of  being  turned  and  driven  in.  Colonel 
Scammon  with  commendable  promptness  "  caused  the  12th 
and  23d  Ohio  regiments  of  his  brigade  to  execute  a  perpen- 
dicular change  of  front,  which  was  done  with  precision  and 
success,  the  other  regiment,  the  80th  Ohio,  maintaining  its 
proper  front."*  This  timely  movement  checked  the  enemy 
and  protected  our  exposed  flank. 

General  Burnside,  observing  the  state  of  affairs,  ordered 
General  Sturgis  forward  to  assist  the  advanced  forces  in  their 
despeiv.te  struggle  with  the  constantly  increasing  masses  of  the 
enemy  The  division  reentered  the  fight  with  the  greatest 
alacrity  and  enthusiasm  and,  though  they  were  already  some- 
what exhausted  and  short  of  ammunition,  they  presented  a 
bold  front  and  with  great  courage  held  the  enemy  at  bay. 
Numbers  of  troops  came  down  from  the  enemy's  left,  where 
their  presence  was  no  longer  needed,  and,  with  the  addition  of 
General  Hill's  division,  now  on  the  ground  and  doing  good 
service  for  the  enemy,  began  to  press  us  back.  But  the  Ninth 
Corps  as  yet  stood  firmly,  and  could  reinforcements  have  been 
sent  from  our  side,  would  not  only  have  made  good  its  position 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Sharpsburg,  but  would  have  decisively 


*  Cox's  Keport  of  the  Battle  of  Antietam. 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  149 

beaten  the  enemy.  General  Burnside  begged  of  General 
McClellan  for  help.  But  no  help  was  to  be  obtained.  Gen- 
eral Franklin,  with  twelve  thousand  men,  was  thought  to  be 
needed  upon  the  right.  General  Fitz  John  Porter,  with  thir- 
teen thousand,  could  not  be  spared  from  the  centre.  At  least 
so  thought  General  McClellan,  who,  careful  to  guard  points 
that  were  not  in  absolute  peril,  did  not  think  it.  necessary  to  re- 
enforce  those  which  required  aid.  The  rest  of  the  army  seemed 
to  be  waiting  on  their  arms,  while  the  Ninth  Corps  waged  its 
unequal  battle. 

The  day  was  now  rapidly  declining.  As  the  enemy  greatly 
outnumbered  us  and  as  no  aid  could  be  given,  General  Cox 
gradually  withdrew  the  corps  to  the  high  banks  of  the  creek 
in  his  rear,  and  there  firmly  held  his  ground.  It  had  been 
hard  work  through  this  long  September  day,  but  it  had  been 
most  nobly  done.  As  the  sun  set  and  the  evening  shadows 
gathered,  and  the  cessation  of  the  firing  on  both  sides  pro- 
claimed the  end  of  the  great  battle,  General  Burnside  was 
gratified  to  know  that  his  command  had  gained  the  most  ad- 
vanced position  of  any  portion  of  our  army,  and  had  attested 
its  bravery  in  the  most  signal  and  distinguished  manner.  No 
duty  had  been  left  unperformed.  No  unnecessary  delays  had 
been  made.  No  cessation  of  fighting  had  taken  place.  No 
part  of  its  line  had  been  broken.  But  everything  that  was 
possible  to  brave  men  had  been  done.  A  position  well  nigh 
impregnable  had  been  dauntlessly  carried.  A  steady  advance 
had  been  made.  The  enemy  had  been  pressed  back,  and  had 
reenforcement  met  reeenforcement,  the  day  would  have  been 
most  certainly  our  own.  The  enemy's  account  acknowledges 
that  "  the  immense  Yankee  force  crossed  the  river  and  made 
the  dash  against  our  line,  which  well  nigh  proved  a  success. 
The  timely  arrival  of  General  A.  P.  Hill,  however,  with  fresh 
troops,  entirely  changed  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  and  after  an 
obstinate  contest,  which  lasted  from  five  o'clock  until  dark,  the 
enemy  were  driven  "*  back.  It  had  been  a  day  of  most  san- 
*  Life  of  Stonewall  Jackson. 


150  ARMY   OF  THE  POTOMAC.  [September, 

guinary  fighting,  and  the  commanding  generals  on  both  sides 
were  not  sorry  to  see  the  sun  go  down  below  the  western  hori- 
zon, and  to  know  that  the  darkness  prohibited  any  further 
carnage. 

Our  losses  were  large.  The  ground  over  which  the  great 
struggle  of  the  morning  had  taken  place;  alternately  in  our  own 
and  the  enemy's  possession,  was  literally  covered  with  the 
dead  and  wounded  of  both  armies.  General  Sumner's  corps 
of  eighteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirteen  men  lost  no 
less  than  five  thousand  two  hundred  and  nine  in  killed,  wounded 
and  missing,  of  whom  forty-one  officers  and  eight  hundred  and 
nineteen  men  were  killed,  and  four  general  and  eighty-nine 
other  commissioned  officers,  and  three  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  eight  men  were  wounded.  General  Hooker's  corps  of 
fourteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-six  men  lost  three 
hundred  and  forty-eight  killed,  two  thousand  and  sixteen 
wounded,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  missing.  General 
Mansfield's,  afterwards  General  Williams's  corps  of  ten  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  twenty-six  men  lost  two  hundred  and 
seventy-four  killed,  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  wounded,  and  eiffhtv-five  missing-.  General  Franklin's 
corps  of  twelve  thousand  and  three  hundred  men  lost  seventy 
killed,  three  hundred  and  thirty-five  wounded,  and  thirty-three 
missing.  General  Fitz  John  Porter's  corps  of  twelve  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  thirty  men,  and  the  reserve  artillery,  lost 
twenty-one  killed,  one  hundred  and  seven  wounded,  and  two 
missing.  General  Pleasonton's  division  of  four  thousand  three 
hundred  and  twenty  men  lost  five  killed  and  twenty-three 
wounded. 

The  Ninth  Corps  numbered,  on  the  morning  of  the  battle, 
thirteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and  nineteen  officers  and  men. 
Its  losses  during  the  day  were  twenty-two  officers  and  four 
hundred  and  ten  enlisted  men  killed,  ninety-six  officers  and 
one  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-five  enlisted  men  wounded, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty  missing.  The  trophies  of  the  en- 
tire  campaign  in  Maryland  captured  from  the  enemy   were 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  151 

thirteen  guns,  thirty-nine  colors,  fifteen  thousand  stands  of 
small  anus  and  more  than  six  thousand  prisoners.  The  Army 
of  the  Potomac  lost  neither  a  gun  nor  color.  The  enemy's 
losses  were  very  severe.  Generals  Branch  and  Starke  had 
ibeen  killed,  General  Jones  disabled,  General  Lawton  severely 
wounded.  General  Jackson,  in  his  report  of  the  battle,  speaks 
of  our  fire  as  having  been  "  well  sustained  and  destructive." 
More  than  half  of  the  brigades  of  Lawton  and  Hays  were 
either  killed  or  wounded,  and  more  than  a  third  of  Trimble's, 
and  all  the  regimental  commanders  in  those  brigades,  except 
two,  were  killed  or  wounded.  Thinned  of  their  ranks  and  ex- 
hausted of  their  ammunition,  Jackson's  division  and  the  brig- 
ades of  Lawton,  Hays  and  Trimble  retired  to  the  rear,  and 
Hood,  of  Longstreet's  command,  again  took  the  position  from 
which -he  had  been  before  relieved.*  The  enemy  must  have 
buried  a  portion  of  his  dead,  but  he  left  more  than  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  upon  the  field  to  be  buried  by  our  troops. 
"  The  carnage,"  as  General  Jackson  says,  "  on  both  sides  was 
terrific." 

Among  our  losses  were  those  of  officers  Avhom  we  could  ill 
afford  to  lose.  Major  General  Joseph  K.  F.  Mansfield,  the 
commander  of  the  twelfth  corps,  was  one  of  the  oldest  officers 
in  the  army,  having  entered  the  service  in  1822.  He  was  un- 
surpassed for  his  skill  and  thoroughness  as  an  engineer,  and 
was  remarkable  for  the  manly  simplicity  and  the  bravery  of  his 
character.  Highly  esteemed  by  the  army,  his  death  was 
deeply  lamented.  But  he  died,  as  he  would  have  desired,  in 
the  full  possession  of  all  his  military  faculties,  and  in  the  course 
of  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duty.  Major  General  Israel  B. 
Bichardson,  of  General  Sumner's  corps,  mortally  wounded  at 
Antietam,  died  at  Sharpsburg  on  the  3d  of  November.  He 
was  born  in  Vermont,  educated  at  West  Point  and  appointed 
Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers,  May  17,  1861.  He  was  a 
brave  officer,  and  his  loss  was  severely  felt  by  the  officers  and 
men  under  his  command. 

*  Jackson's  Keport  in  Pollard's  History  of  Second  Year,  p.  132. 


152  AEMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Septembek, 

In  the  Ninth  Corps,  the  death  of  Colonel  Kingsbury  and 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Bell  has  already  been  appropriately  noticed. 
Colonel  Kingsbury  lingered  till  the  18th,  when  he  died  amidst 
the  sorrow  of  a  multitude  of  friends.  Lieutenant  Robert  H. 
Ives,  Jr.,  of  General  Rodman's  staff,  was  a  young  man  of  liberal 
education,  a  graduate  of  Brown  University  in  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  and  the  prospective  heir  to  a  very  large  fortune. 
With  every  comfort  and  even  luxury  of  life  at  his  command, 
he  could  not  endure  the  thought  that  the  sacred  war  for  the 
Union  should  go  on  without  his  participation.  He  left  a  de- 
lightful home,  an  agreeable  social  circle  in  which  he  was  a  fa- 
vorite, and  entered  the  army  as  a  volunteer  aide  to  General 
Rodman,  at  the  commencement  of  the  Maryland  campaign. 
He  cheerfully  endured  every  privation  of  the  camp  and  bravely 
faced  every  danger  of  the  battle  field.  He  endeared  himself  to 
the  whole  command  by  his  kindness  and  his  readiness  to  share 
all  hardships  and  perils.  His  conduct  in  battle,  calm,  cool  and 
self-possessed,  called  forth  the  unqualified  approbation  of  his 
superior  officers.  He  lingered  in  great  pain  for  several  days 
after  the  battle,  attended  with  the  best  surgical  skill  which 
could  possibly  be  secured.  But  all  means  were  unavailing,  and 
he  died  at  Hagerstown  on  the  27th  day  of  September.  Truly, 
he  had  left  all  and  followed  the  command  of  duty,  devoting  a 
life  of  hope  and  promise  to  his  country's  welfare  ! 

But  the  severest  loss  in  the  Ninth  Corps  was  that  caused  by 
the  death  of  General  Rodman.  His  bravery  had  been  so  mani- 
festly displayed,  his  skill  was  so  well  known,  his  judgment  was 
so  mature,  and  his  fidelity  so  unquestioned,  as  to  lead  his  friends 
to  believe  that  a  brilliant  future  awaited  him.  Drawn  from  the 
peaceful  pursuits  of  life,  by  his  love  for  the  country  and  a  desire 
to  serve  her  welfare,  he  was  rapidly  making  an  honorable  place 
for  himself  in  the  army — indeed  had  already  secured  that  place 
— when  the  fortune  of  war  and  the  decree  of  Heaven  put  an 
end  forever  to  his  career  on  earth.  Isaac  P  Rodman  was  born 
at  South  Kingstown  on  the  18th  of  August,  1822.  His  father  was 
a  manufacturer,  and  the  boy  was  carefully  reared  at  home,  tho- 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  153 

roughly  instructed  at  school,  and  at  a  proper  time  was  trained 
to  the  business  of  his  father.  He  was  soon  distinguished  for 
faithfulness,  industry  and  integrity.  The  manly  qualities  of 
his  character  won  for  him  the  esteem  and  affection  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  and  with  great  credit  to  himself,  he  filled  various  offices 
of  trust  to  which  his  townsmen  were  always  glad  to  elect  him. 
On  the  15th  of  June,  1847,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sally,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  Lemuel  H.  Arnold,  who,  with  a  family  of  five 
children,  survives  him.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion, 
he  was  moved  by  an  ardent  patriotic  feeling,  which  would  not 
permit  him  to  remain  at  home  at  his  ease  while  so  many  of  his 
fellow  countrymen  were  hastening  to  the  scene  of  duty  and 
danger.  He  gave  up  his  business,  exercised  his  influence  in 
raising  troops,  commenced  by  himself  the  study  of  military 
subjects,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  2d  Regiment  of 
Rhode  Island  Volunteers,  was  commissioned  Captain,  June  1, 
1861.  The  regiment  was  actively  engaged  in  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  and  there  Captain  Rodman  won  his  first  laurels 
in  the  field.  He  was  especially  distinguished  for  his  coolness 
and  valor  and  gained  the  approving  notice  of  his  superior  offi- 
cers, whose  high  respect  he  had  previously  secured  by  his  un- 
wearied faithfulness  in  the  discharge  of  duty  in  the  camp. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  4th  Rhode  Island  regi- 
ment, he  was  appointed  Lieutenant  Colonel,  his  commission 
dating  October  19,  J-861.  Eleven  days  after,  October  30th, 
he  was  promoted  to  the  Colonelcy.  Here  his  administrative 
and  executive  abilities  were  particularly  marked,  in  the  high 
degree  of  discipline  and  efficiency  to  which  he  soon  brought  his 
regiment.  It  became  one  of  the  best  in  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, and  greatly  assisted  in  gaining  for  Rhode  Island  the 
reputation  which  she  holds  among  her  sister  States  for  the  ex- 
cellent character  of  her  troops.  When  General  Burnside  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  North  Carolina  expedition, 
he  solicited  and  obtained  the  4th  Rhode  Island  for  a  portion  of 
his  army.  The  services  which  Colonel  Rodman  and  his 
regiment  rendered  in  the  battles  of  Roanoke  Island  and  New- 
20  « 


154  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC.  [September, 

bern  have  already  been  enumerated.  The  gallant  charge  which 
they  made  in  the  last  named  action  gave  Colonel  Rodman  a 
wide  celebrity  and  attracted  the  attention  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment at  Washington.  He  was  accordingly  promoted  to  Briga- 
dier General,  his  commission  dating  Api'il  28,  1862,  a  few  days 
after  the  surrender  of  Fort  Macon,  in  operations  against  which 
Colonel  Rodman  had  been  engaged. 

Upon  the  reorganization  of  General  Burnside's  command, 
General  Rodman  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  brigade. 
Returning  home  on  sick  leave  soon  afterwards,  he  spent  a  few 
weeks  at  his  residence  in  South  Kingstown.  He  rejoined  the 
army  on  the  6th  day  of  August,  reporting  to  General  Burnside 
at  Fredericksburg.  He  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
third  (General  Parke's  late)  division,  and  in  that  capacity  en- 
tered upon  the  Maryland  campaign.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  his 
courage  and  skill  were  abundantly  proved.  He  led  his  divi- 
sion at  South  Mountain  and  again  at  Antietam  with  the  same 
gallantry  which  he  had  displayed  at  Newbern.  Shunning  no 
danger,  avoiding  no  duty,  he  was  everywhere  fearless  and  al- 
ways faithful.  He  received  his  death  wound  in  the  final  strug- 
gle that  took  place  beyond  the  bridge  of  Antietam,  near  the 
close  of  the  battle.  He  fell  in  the  front  with  his  face  to  the  foe. 
He  Avas  borne  from  the  field  and  carefully  attended.  Removed 
to  the  house  of  Mr.  Rohrback,  near  Sharpsburg,  close  by  the 
scene  of  the  fight,  nursed  by  his  wife,  tenderly  treated  by  the 
best  available  medical  skill,  he  lingered  for  twelve  Aveary  and 
painful  days,  and,  on  the  morning  of  the  30th  of  September  quiet- 
ly breathed  his  last.  He  retained  all  his  mental  faculties  to  the 
latest  moment.  Knowing  from  the  first,  that  all  which  friend- 
ship and  affection  could  do  was  not  sufficient  to  save  his  life, 
he  Avas  perfectly  submissive  and  thoroughly  trustful.  Not  a  com- 
plaint or  murmur  escaped  his  lips,  though  he  was  at  times  suf- 
fering great  pain  from  internal  bleeding  But  he  endured  all 
with  the  calmness  and  composure  of  a  brave,  true  and  Christian 
man.-  His  Bible  Avas  his  daily  companion,  and,  after  he  fell, 
it  AYjts  found  beneath  his  uniform  stained  with  his  blood.     He 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   ANTIETAM.  155 

was  particularly  kind-hearted,  of  great  nobility  and  manliness 
of  character,  of  a  pure  Christian  faith,  and  possessed  to  a  degree 
not  often  witnessed  among  those  who  have  been  trained  to 
middle  age  in  the  pursuit  of  a  civil  life,  the  capabilities  and 
tastes  of  a  good  soldier.  He  brought  the  fidelity,  which  charac- 
terized him  in  business  and  domestic  life,  to  the  duties  of  the 
army,  learned  both  how  to  obey  and  to  command,  and  made 
himself  by  his  own  unwearied  exertions  a  sagacious  and  skill- 
ful officer.  His  career  is  an  additional  illustration  of  the  words 
of  the  poet : 

"  The  path  of  duty  was  the  way  to  glory ; 
He  that  walks  it,  only  thirsting 
For  the  right,  and  learns  to  deaden 
Love  of  self,  before  his  journey  closes 
He  shall  find  the  stubborn  thistle  bursting 
Into  glossy  purples,  which  outredden 
All  voluptuous  garden  roses. 
He,  that  ever  following  her  commands, 
On  with  toil  of  heart  and  knees  and  hands, 
Through  the  long  gorge  to  the  far  light  has  won 
His  path  upward  and  prevailed, 
Shall  find  the  toppling  crags  of  duty  scaled 
Are  close  upon  the  shining  table  lands, 
To  which  our  God  Himself  is  moon  and  sun."* 

*  Soon  after  General  Hodman's  death,  General  Burnside  testified  to  the  esti- 
mation in  which  he  held  his  late  friend  and  companion  in  arms,  by  the  follow- 
ing order  addressed  to  the  Corps : 

"  The  Commanding  General  announces  to  the  Third  Division  the  death  of 
their  late  commander,  Brigadier  General  Bodman,  caused  by  a  wound  received 
at  the  battle  of  Antietam. 

One  of  the  first  to  leave  his  home  at  his  country's  call,  General  Rodman,  in 
his  constant  and  unwearied  service,  now  ended  by  his  untimely  death,  has 
left  a  bright  record  of  earnest  patriotism  undimmed  by  one  thought  of  self. 

Eespected  and  esteemed  in  the  various  relations  of  his  life,  the  army  mourns 
his  loss  as  a  pure-hearted  patriot  and  a  brave,  devoted  soldier,  and  his  division 
will  miss  a  gallant  leader  who  was  always  foremost  at  the  post  of  danger." 


156  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [September 


CHAPTEK    IV 


AFTER   ANTIETAM. 


THE  morning  of  the  18th  of  September  found  the  two  hos- 
tile armies    still  confronting   each  other.     General  Mc- 
Clellan  had  been  ree'nforced  during  the  night,  in  numbers  suf- 
ficient to  cover  the  losses  of  the  preceding  day.     But  the  right 
wincr  had  been  so  badly  shaken,  and,  to  a  degree,  demoralized, 
that  it  was  not  deemed  advisable  to  attack.     General  Burnside 
expressed  the  opinion  that  our  army  ought  to  renew  the  battle, 
for  the  enemy  had  been  worse  shaken  than  we,  and  an  assault 
upon  his  position  promised  every  success.    General  Burnside  vis- 
ited General  McClellan's  headquarters  to  urge  this  course,  declar- 
ing that  "  with  five  thousand  fresh  troops  to  pass  in  advance  of 
his  line,  he  would  be  willing  to  commence  the  attack."*  But  the 
commanding  general  of  the   army  was  not  disposed  to  recom- 
mence  the   strife,  and   though   General   Morell's   division  was 
sent  over  to  relieve  General  Burnside's  more  advanced  troops, 
there  were   no   orders   to  attack.      General  McClellan  thought 
the  responsibility  too  grave,  and   dared   not  take  it.     On  the 
other   hand,  the   enemy  was   in   no  humor   for   more   fighting. 
The  18th  was  accordingly  spent  by  both  armies  in  quiet.     The 
wounded  were  collected   and  cared  for,  the  dead  were  buried, 
and  new  dispositions  for   further  movements  made.      Possibly 
the  battle  might  have  been  renewed  on  the  19th  ;  but  General 
Lee  did  not  wait  for  any  such  contingency.     During  the  night 
of  the  18th-19th,  he  quietly  moved  his   entire  army,  with  the 
exception  of  some   wounded   men,  all  his  serviceable  artillery, 

*  Report  of  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War.     Part  I.  p.  642. 


1862.]  AFTER   ANTIETAM.  157 

wagons,  ammunition  and  supplies  across  the  Potomac,  and 
took  post  on  the  opposite  bank,  near  Shepherdstown.  He  re- 
tired at  his  ease,  wholly  unmolested.  "  He  leaves  us,"  says 
an  army  correspondent,*  "  the  debris  of  his  late  camp,  two  dis- 
abled pieces  of  artillery,  a  few  hundred  of  his  stragglers,  per- 
haps two  thousand  of  his  wounded  and  as  many  more  of  his 
unburied  dead.  Not  a  sound  field  piece,  caisson,  ambulance, 
or  wagon  ;  not  a  tent,  box  of  stores,  or  a  pound  of  ammuni- 
tion. He  takes  with  him  the  supplies  gathered  in  Maryland 
and  the  rich  spoils  of  Harper's  Ferry  "  General  Lee  seems 
to  have  been  satisfied  with  the  result.  At  all  events,  he  put  a 
bold  face  upon  it,  and  declared  that  History  recorded  "  few 
examples. of  greater  fortitude  and  endurance  than  "  his  "  army 
had  exhibited." 

At  daylight  on  the  19th,  therefore,  at  which  time  it  had 
been  determined  to  renew  the  battle,  our  troops  found  that 
there  was  nobody  to  fight.  The  enemy  had  disappeared.  Our 
cavalry  started  in  pursuit,  but  found,  on  reaching  the  Potomac, 
that  batteries  of  artillery  were  frowning  upon  the  opposite 
bank  and  forbidding  further  progress.  General  Charles  Griffin, 
with  a  detachment  from  his  own  brigade  and  that  of  General 
Barnes,  was  sent  across  at  dark  on  the  evening  of  the  19th, 
and  captured  several  pieces  of  artillery.  A  subsequent  recon- 
naissance on  the  20th,  was  attended  with  severe  loss,  and  the 
reconnoitering  party  was  driven  back  by  heavy  forces  under 
the  command  of  General  Hill.  Our  troops  recrossed  the  river, 
and  for  the  time  all  hostilities  were  mutually  suspended. 

It  is  not  within  the  province  of  this  volume  to  discuss  the 
military  questions  which  have  arisen  respecting  the  issue  of 
the  battle  of  Antietam.  There  can  be  no  question,  however, 
that  the  result,  so  far  as  General  McClellan  was  concerned, 
was  seriously  to  impair  what  little  confidence  the  country  re- 
posed in  him  after  the  disasters  of  the  Peninsula.  Even  many 
of  his  friends,  who  had  been  willing  to  excuse  the  want  of  suc- 

*  New  York  Tribune,  of  Sept.  22. 


158  ARMY    OF    THE   POTOMAC.  [Septbmbee, 

cess  in  front  of  Bichmond  on  account  of  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances of  the  case,  could  not  look  with  complacency  upon  his 
refusal  to  renew  the  battle  on  the  18th.  If,  as  he  declared,  he 
had  defeated  the  enemy,  it  was  certainly  his  duty  to  follow  up 
his  victory.  But,  if  there  were  no  victory  on  his  part,  it  was 
simply  an  additional  failure,  when  he  had  every  instrumentality 
by  which  success  could  be  gained.  If  he  could  not  win  at 
Antietam,  the  public  did  not  believe  that  he  could  win  any- 
where. There  is  no  necessity  of  expressing  any  opinion  upon 
the  subject.  But  the  fact  that,  instead  of  gaining,  General 
McClellan  lost  the  public  confidence  after  Antietam  is  as  sig- 
nificant as  it  is  indisputable. 

Perhaps  the  enemy  was  no  better  satisfied  than  we.  It  was 
thought,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Potomac,  that  General  Lee 
had  not  achieved  a  very  remarkable  success.  Indeed,  if  the 
abandonment  of  his  chosen  position  after  the  battle  be  the 
indication  of  defeat,  or,  at  least,  an  expression  of  conscious 
weakness,  the  enemy  had  not  much  occasion  for  self-congratu- 
lation. General  Lee. had  fought  a  great  battle,  had  fought  it 
well.  But  he  had  not  defeated  his  adversary.  He  had  only 
held  him  at  bay.  He  had  also  left  in  his  hands  thousands  of 
his  dead  and  wounded,  and,  availing  himself  of  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  had  hastened  to  put  a  broad  river  between  himself 
and  his  opponent.  Thus,  at  least,  he  had  confessed  his  ina- 
bility to  withstand  another  resolute  attack.  Mr.  Pollard's 
statement — whatever  estimate  may  be  put  upon  his  volumes  as 
records  of  historical  facts — may  well  be  taken  as  the  expression 
of  the  average  public  sentiment  at  the  South  upon  the  subject : 
"•  Let  it  be  freely  confessed  that  the  object  of  General  Lee,  in 
crossing  the  Potomac,  was  to  hold  and  occupy  Maryland  ;  that 
his  proclamation  issued  at  Frederick,  offering  protection  to  the 
Marylanders,  is  incontrovertible  evidence  of  the  fact ;  that  he 
was  forced  to  return  to  Virginia,  not  by  stress  of  any  single 
battle,  but  by  the  force  of  many  circumstances,  some  of  which 
history  should  blush  to  record  ;  that,  in  these  results,  the  Ma- 


1862.]  AFTER   ANTIETAM.  159 

ryland  campaign  was  a  failure."*  Nor  did  the  reception  which 
the  people  of  Maryland  gave  to  General  Lee  and  his  troops 
afford  much  encouragement  to  the  Southern  hopes.  The  whole 
number  of  recruits  to  the  rebel  army  did  not  exceed  eight  hun- 
dred men.  The  Southern  historian  thinks  that  something  of 
all  this  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  army  of  General  Lee 
marched  only  through  the  two  counties  that  contained  the 
"  most  violent  Union  population  in  Maryland."  Something 
was  also  due  to  the  fact  that  there  was  no  possibility  of  a  suc- 
cessful rising  in  Baltimore  against  the  overwhelming  forces  of 
"  Federal  bayonets,"  or  the  guns  of  Fort  McHenry.  "  It  is 
true,  that  the  South  could  not  have  expected  a  welcome  in 
these  counties,  or  a  desperate  mutiny  for  the  Confederacy  in 
Baltimore.  But,"  he  adds,  with  a  grim  sort  of  sarcasm,  "  it 
was  expected  that  Southern  sympathizers  in  other  parts  of  the 
State,  who  so  glibly  ran  the  blockade  on  adventures  of  trade, 
might  as  readily  work  their  way  to  the  Confederate  army  as 
to  the  Confederate  markets  ;  and  it  was  not  exi:>ected  that  the 
few<  recruits  who  timidly  advanced  to  our  lines  would  have 
been  so  easily  dismayed  by  the  rags  of  our  soldiers  and  by  the 
prospects  of  a  service  that  promised  equal  measures  of  hard- 
ship and  glory."f  On  the  whole,  we  may  conclude  that  the 
campaign,  which,  in  Southern  eyes,  bore  upon  the  surface  so 
brilliant  and  glorious  an  aspect,  was  barren  in  results,  and  had 
not  so  promising  a  character  when  closely  examined.  The 
"  Southern  Confederacy  "  was  no  nearer  recognition  after  it 
than  when  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  beleaguered  Richmond. 
Suffice  it  now  to  say  that  the  South  had  gained  nothing  by  the 
campaign  of  its  army  in  Maryland.  On  the  contrary,  the 
cause  of  the  Union  had  added  to  its  strength.  It  was  reen- 
ehforced  by  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
issued  soon  after  the  battle,  to  take  practical  effect  on  the  1st 
of  January,  1863.  Thenceforward,  the  war  for  the  Union 
was    emphatically   a    war    for    Liberty,    and    recognition   of 

*  Pollard's  History  of  the  Second  Year  of  the  War,  p.  111.     1  Pollard,  p.  142. 


160  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Septembek, 

Southern   Confederacies — one  or  many — became   forever  im- 
possible ! 

For  the  next  few  weeks  both  armies  rested  on  opposite 
banks  of  the  Potomac.  General  Lee  posted  his  forces  in  front 
of  Winchester,  reaching  from  Martinsburg  to  the  Shenandoah 
river,  thus  guarding  the  entrance  of  the  valley.  General  Mc- 
Clellan  arranged  his  lines  reaching  from  the  Williamsport  ford 
on  the  right  to  Harper's  Ferry  on  the  left.  Both  armies  re- 
ceived reinforcements,  but  neither  general  thought  himself 
strong  enough  to  initiate  an  aggressive  movement.  The  Ninth 
Corps  was  posted  in  Pleasant  Valley,  and  for  some  time  enjoyed 
the  rest  which  the  quiet  autumnal  season  gave.  Nothing  of 
moment  to  this  corps  occurred  during  the  time  except  the  de- 
parture of  the  Kanawha  division,  which  was  peremptorily 
ordered  to  West  Virginia  on  the  7th  of  October,  and  started 
on  the  8th.*  General  Cox  had  proved  himself  an  able  soldier 
in  the  scenes  of  the  Maryland  campaign,  and  had  won  the 
hearty  recommendation  both  of  Generals  Burnside  and  McClel- 
lan  for  promotion.  "  His  gallant  services,"  says  General 
McClellan,  "  in  the  battle  of  South  Mountain  and  at  the 
Antietam,  contributed  greatly  towards  our  success  in  those  hard 
fought  encasements.  I  concur  in  the  recommendation  of  Gen- 
eral  Burnside,  and  request  that  the  promotion  be  made  at  once." 
These  recommendations  had  the  desired  effect,  and  on  the 
8th  of  October  General  Cox  was  appointed  Major  General  by 
the  President.  The  number  of  promotions,  however,  ex- 
ceeded that  authorized  by  Congress,  and  this  appointment  with 
others  was  not  confirmed.  He  had  been  appointed  Brigadier 
General  of  Volunteers  from  civil  life  in  the  early  days  of  the 
war,  his  commission  dating  May  7,  1861.  He  served  faithfully 
and  well  in  West  Virginia,  and  in  the  summer  of  1862  was  in 
command  of  the  District  of  the  Kanawha.  On  the  loth  of 
August  he  started  with  a  division,  consisting  of  the  11th,  12th, 


*The  first  order  for  General  Cox's  movement  is  dated  October  4tli,  tut  Gene- 
ral McClellan  delayed  obedience. 


£n^  ^br  J-  C.B^ttre- 


MAJ.  GEK  J-  DOLSON   COX, 


1862.]  AFTER   ANTIETAM.  161 

23d,  28th,  30th,  and  36th  Ohio  Eegiments,  two  batteries  of 
artillery  and  one  troop  of  cavalry — organized  in  two  brigades, 
Colonel  E.  P  Scammon  and  Colonel  A.  Moore  commanding — 
to  reenforce  General  Pope  in  Virginia.  The  troops  started 
from  Flat  Top  Mountain,  marched  to  the  head  of  navigation  on 
the  Kanawha,  a  distance  of  ninety  miles  in  three  and  one-fourth 
days,  and  were  thence  transported  by  boat  and  rail  to  Washing- 
ton. They  reached  Washington  several  days  before  the  second 
battle  of  Bull  Bun,  and  went  into  the  fortifications  around  the 
city.  Colonel  Scammon's  brigade  was  sent  out  to  Union  Mills, 
where  the  Alexandria  and  Orange    railroad  crosses  Bull  Eun, 

on  the  26th  of  August  and  did  excellent  service  there  in  Check- 
er 

ing  the  enemy's  advance  in  that  direction.  Colonel  Scammon 
conducted  the  hazardous  enterprise  with  great  skill.  He  held 
the  bridge  a  long  time  against  a  superior  force,  retired  at  last  in 
good  order,  eluded  the  efforts  of  the  enemy  to  surround  him 
and  brought  off  his  command  with  but  little  loss. 

Upon  the  reorganization  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
General  Cox's  division  was  assigned  to  the  Ninth  Corps,  and 
the  extremely  good  service  which  it  and  its  commander  ren- 
dered has  been  previously  recorded.  It  manfully  bore  its 
part  in  every  position  and  attested  its  gallantry  by  the  losses 
which  it  suffered.  General  Cox,  in  his  report  of  the  battle 
of  South  Mountain,  mentions  with  great  commendation  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  E.  B.  Hayes  commanding  the  23rd  Ohio,  who 
was  severely  wounded  but  refused  to  leave  the  field  until  com- 
pelled by  loss  of  blood,  Major  E.  M.  Carey  of  the  12th  Ohio, 
who  was  shot  through  the  thigh  after  greatly  distinguishing 
himself  in  the  action,  and  Lieutenant  Croome  who  was  killed 
while  personally  serving  a  gun  of  his  battery.  He  mentions 
in  his  report  of  the  battle  of  Antietam  the  death  of  Lieutenant 
Colonel  A.  H.  Coleman  commanding  the  11th  Ohio,  and  of 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Clark  commanding  the  36th  Ohio.  They 
were  both  excellent  officers  and  "  were  killed  while  heroically 
leading  their  men  under  a  terrible  fire  of  shell,  canister  and 
musketry."      General    Cox  throughout   the  war  always  did 

21 


162  AKMT   OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [October, 

his  duty  with  effectiveness  and  promptitude.  He  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  District  of  Western  Virginia,  and  served  in 
that  quarter  for  a  considerable  time.  In  the  winter  of  1863- 
'6-1  he  was  in  command  of  the  twenty-third  corps,  and  rendered 
the  Ninth  Corps  great  assistance  in  its  campaign  in  East  Ten- 
nessee. He  afterwards  distinguished  himself  in  General  Sher- 
man's movement  against  Atlanta,  in  the  pursuit  of  Hood  after 
the  occupation  of  Atlanta  by  our  troops,  in  the  battle  of  Frank- 
lin under  General  Schofield  on  the  30th  of  November,  1864,  in 
the  battle  of  Nashville  under  General  Thomas  on  the  15th  and 
16th  of  December,  and  in  the  closing  movements  of  General 
Sherman's  great  campaign  through  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas. 
His  command  in  the  army  of  the  Ohio  under  General  Schofield 
was  transferred  from  Tennessee  after  the  battle  of  Nashville 
and  was  moved  to  North  Carolina,  arriving  at  Goldsboro'  on 
the  21st  of  March,  1865.  His  advancement  came  tardily,  but 
it  came  at  last,  and  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major 
General — his  commission  dating  December  7,  1864 — for  the 
gallant  service  which  he  had  performed  at  the  battles  of  Frank- 
lin and  Nashville.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  resigned  his  com- 
mission, and  was  elected  Governor  of  Ohio  on  the  14th  of 
October,  1865.  In  civil  as  in  military  life  he  has  shown  himself 
to  be  a  prompt,  efficient  and  gallant  gentleman,  wearing  his 
honors  modestly  and  gracefully,  and  giving  promise  of  greater 
distinction  in  the  future.  His  connection  with  the  Ninth  Corps 
was  very  creditable  to  himself,  and  General  Burnside  parted 
from  him  with  feelings  of  real  regret.  General  Cox's  staff 
while  in  command  of  the  corps  was  composed  of  the  following 
named  gentlemen :  Captain  G.  M.  Bascom,  Assistant  Adju- 
tant General ;  First  Lieutenant  James  W  Conine,  First  Lieu- 
tenant Samuel  L.  Christie,  (both  of  the  1st  Kentucky  regi- 
ment,) Aides  de  Camp;  Major  W  W  Holmes,  Medical 
Director  ;  Captaiu  E.  B.  Fitch,  Quartermaster  ;  Captain  E.  B. 
Treat,  Commissary  of  Subsistence. 

Upon  the    departure   of   General  Cox,    Brigadier  General 
Orlando  B.  Willcox  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  corps. 


1862.]  AFTER   ANTIETAM.  163 

Soon  afterwards,  Brigadier  General  "W  W  Burns  was  assigned 
to  the  command  of  General  Willcox's  division  and  Brigadier 
General  G.  W.  Getty  to  the  command  of  that  of  the  late  Gene- 
ral Kodman. 

The  chief  event  of  interest  at  this  time  was  a  raid,  which  the 
rebel  cavalry  under  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart  made,  entirely 
around  General  McClellan's  army.  The  enemy's  party  started 
from  camp  at  midnight  on  the  9th  of  October,  crossed  the  Poto- 
mac between  Williamsport  and  Hancock  at  dawn  on  the  10th, 
marched  rapidly  up  the  Cumberland  valley — passing  the  rear 
of  General  Cox's  command  but  an  hour  behind — and  arrived 
in  the  outskirts  of  Chambersburg,  Penn.,  about  nightfall. 
General  Stuart  immediately  occupied  the  town  and  remained 
there  through  the  night,  carefully  respecting  the  rights  of  private 
property,  with  a  few  exceptions,  and  treating  the  inhabitants  with 
kindness.  We  had  no  military  force  at  Chambersburg.  Two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  sick  and  wounded  men  were  found  in 
hospital  and  paroled.  A  large  quantity  of  arms,  ammunition 
and  clothing  belonging  to  the  army  was  destroyed.  The  ex- 
tensive machine  shops  and  depot  buildings  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany were  consumed.  The  next  morning  the  enemy's  cavalry 
left  Chambersburg,  entered  Maryland  at  Emmetsburg,  crossed 
the  Monocacy  at  a  point  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  above  Frederick, 
thence  marched  through  Liberty,  New  Market  and  Hyatts- 
town,  and  during  the  forenoon  of  the  12th  escaped  across 
the  Potomac.  This  raid  accomplished  nothing  beyond  plun- 
dering the  country  of  horses,  forage,  aud  such  light  articles  as 
could  readily  be  carried  and  destroying  the  public  stores  at 
Chambersburg.  But  it  was  a  daring  feat,  and  it  was  accom- 
plished with  but  insignificant  loss  to  the  enemy.  The  expe- 
dition was  a  source  of  considerable  mortification  to  General 
McClellan  and  of  some  alarm  to  the  people  of  the  North,  who 
perceived  how  easily  an  adventurous  leader  with  a  small  band 
of  partizans  could  penetrate  an  undefended  territory,  and,  by 
rapid  marching  and  skillful  manceuvering,  elude  pursuit  and 
make  good  his  escape.     General   McClellan   complained,  that 


164  ARMY    OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [October, 

he  was  deficient  in  cavalry  and  said  that  he  must  be  better  sup- 
plied with  horses  for  remounts,  and  that  too  "  within  the  short- 
est possible  time."  Otherwise,  he  declared,  he  would  "  be  con- 
stantly exposed  to  rebel  cavalry  raids."  Mr.  Lincoln  read  the 
despatch  and,  with  his  accustomed  shrewdness,  directed  Gene- 
ral Halleck  to  suggest  '"  that  if  the  enemy  had  more  occupation 
south  of  the  river,  his  cavalry  would  not  be  so  likely  to  make 
raids  north  of  it." 

The  truth  was,  that  the  President  and  the  country  were  be- 
coming impatient  on  account  of  the  continued  inactivity  of 
General  McClellan  and  his  army.  As  early  as  the  6th  of  Oc- 
tober, the  President  directed  General  McClellan  to  "  cross  and 
give  battle  to  the  enemy,  or  drive  him  South."  But  General 
McClellan,  instead  of  obeying  this  distinct  command,  still  made 
excuses,  found  occasions  for  delays,  objected  to  the  different 
orders  sent  from  Washington,  endeavored  to  argue  the  cases 
presented,  complained  of  want  of  supplies,  and  spent  a  large 
part  of  his  time  in  correspondence  with  the  heads  of  the  differ- 
ent departments  of  the  army  in  Washington.  Horses,  shoes, 
clothing  and  other  needful  things,  in  ample  quantities,  seem 
to  have  been  sent  from  the  Quartermaster's  stores  in  Wash- 
ington, but,  by  some  miscarriage,  could  not  readily  reach  the 
camps  of  the  soldiers.*  It  began  to  be  suspected  that  General 
McClellan  did  not  wish  to  cross  the  Potomac,  that  he  intended 
to  go  into,  winter  quarters  along  the  line  of  the  Upper  Potomac, 
and  wait  for  the  following  Spring  before  he  inaugurated  another 
campaign  in  Virginia.  It  was  supposed  that  the  march  of  the 
army  was  to  be  delayed,  under  various  pretexts,  until  the  sea- 
son had  become  so  far  advanced  as  to  make  any  movement  im- 
practicable. Whether  the  latter  supposition  had  any  founda- 
tion in  fact,  cannot  now  be  known.     That  the  former  opinion 


*  It  was  said  at  the  time,  that  cars  filled  with  supplies  were  allowed  to  re- 
main unloaded  at  Hagerstown  and  other  points.  General  Meigs's  Letter  to 
General  McClellan,  October  22, 1862,  in  Report  of  Committee  on  the  Conduct 
of  the  War,  I.,  539.  It  is  fair  to  add  that  General  Ingalls  denied  the  truth  of 
the  statement. 


1862.]  AFTER   ANTIETAM.  165 

rested  on  good  grounds,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt.  General 
officers,  who  were  friends  and  admirers  of  General  McClellan, 
virtually  admitted  as  much  to  the  writer  of  these  pages,  in  a 
familiar  conversation  with  him  in  the  latter  part  of  the  follow- 
ing December,  at  General  Burnside's  headquarters  at  Falmouth. 
General  McClellan  did  not  wish  to  march  against  the  enemy 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Winchester.  The  authorities  at  Wash- 
ington determined  that  he  should  move,  and  nearly  the  entire 
month  of  October  was  occupied  in  the  discussion  of  this  sim- 
ple proposition.  The  President  was  particularly  anxious  that 
the  army  should  move,  and  on  the  13th  wrote  a  long  letter  to 
General  McClellan  on  the  subject,  which  has  been  several 
times  published.  This  letter  was  of  so  important  a  character 
and  bearing  upon  subsequent  operations,  and  exhibited  so 
clearly  the  President's  characteristics,  as  to  make  it  desirable 
to  reprint  it  here,  though  at  the  risk  of  repeating  what  may  be 
already  familiar  to  the  reader  : 

"  Executive  Mansion, 
Washington,  October  13,  1862. 
"  Major  General  McClellan  : 

"My  Dear  Sir, — You  remember  my  speaking  to  you- of 
what  I  called  your  over-cautiousness.  Are  you  not  over-cau- 
tious when  you  assume  that  you  cannot  do  what  the  enemy  is 
constantly  doing  ?  Should  you  not  claim  to  be  at  least  his 
equal  in  prowess  and  act  upon  the  claim  ? 

"  As  I  understand,  you  telegraph  General  Halleck  that  you 
cannot  subsist  your  army  at  Winchester,  unless  the  railroad 
from  Harper's  Ferry  to  that  point  be  put  in  working  order. 
But  the  enemy  does  now  subsist  his  army  at  Winchester,  at  a 
distance  nearly  twice  as  great  from  railroad  transportation  as 
you  would  have  to  do  without  the  railroad  last  named.  He 
now  wagons  from  Culpepper  Court  House,  which  is  just  about 
twice  as  far  as  you  would  have  to  do  from  Harper's  Ferry. 
He  is  certainly  not  more  than  half  as  well  provided  with  wag- 
ons as  you  are.     I  certainly  should  be  pleased  for  you  to  have 


166  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [OCTOBEB, 

the  advantage  of  the  railroad  from  Harper's  Ferry  to  Winches- 
ter, but  it  wastes  ail  the  remainder  of  autumn  to  give  it  to  you ; 
and  in  fact,  ignores  the  question  of  time,  which  cannot  and 
must  not  be  ignored. 

"  Again,  one  of  the  standard  maxims  of  war,  as  you  know, 
is  '  to  operate  upon  the  enemy's  communications  as  much  as 
possible,  without  exposing  your  own.'  You  seem  to  act  as  if 
this  applies  against  you,  but  cannot  apply  in  your  favor. 
Change  positions  with  the  enemy,  and  think  you  not  he  would 
break  your  communications  with  Richmond  within  the  next 
twenty-four  hours  ?  You  dread  his  going  into  Pennsylvania. 
But  if  he  does  so  in  full  force,  he  gives  up  his  communications 
to  you  absolutely,  and  you  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  follow 
and  ruin  him  ;  if  he  does  so  with  less  than  full  force,  fall  upon 
and  beat  what  is  left  behind  all  the  easier. 

"  Exclusive  of  the  water-line,  you  are  now  nearer  Richmond 
than  the  enemy  is,  by  the  route  that  you  can  and  he  must  take. 
Whv  can  you  not  reach  there  before  him,  unless  you  admit 
that  he  is  more  than  your  equal  on  a  march  ?  His  route  is  the 
arc  of  a  circle,  while  yours  is  the  chord.  The  roads  are  as 
good  on  yours  as  on  his. 

"  You  know  I  desired,  but  did  not  order  you  to  cross  the 
Potomac  below  instead  of  above  the  Shenandoah  and  Blue 
Ridge.  Mr  idea  was  that  this  would  at  once  menace  the  enemy's 
communications,  which  I  would  seize  if  he  would  permit.  If 
he  should  move  northward,  I  would  follow  him  closely,  hold- 
ing his  communications.  If  he  should  prevent  our  seizing  his 
communications,  and  move  towards  Richmond,  I  would  press 
closely  to  him,  fight  him  if  a  favorable  opportunity  should  pre- 
sent, and  at  least  try  to  beat  him  to  Richmond  on  the  inside 
track.  I  say  '  try  ;'  if  we  never  try,  we  shall  pever  succeed. 
If  he  make  a  stand  at  Winchester,  moving  neither  north  or 
south,  I  would  fight  him  there,  on  the  idea  that  if  we  cannot 
beat  him  when  he  bears  the  wastage  of  coming  to  us,  we  never 
can  when  we  bear  the  wastage  of  going  to  him.  This  propo- 
sition is  a  simple  truth,  and  is  too  important  to  be  lost  sight  of 


1862.]  AFTER   ANTIETAM,  167 

for  a  moment.  In  coming  to  us,  he  tenders  us  an  advantage 
which  we  should  not  waive.  We  should  not  so  operate  as  to 
merely  drive  him  away.  As  we  must  beat  him  somewhere,  or 
fail  finally,  we  can  do  it,  if  at  all,  easier  near  to  us  than  far 
away.  If  we  cannot  beat  the  enemy  where  he  now  is,  we  never 
can,  he  again  being  within  the  intrenchments  of  Richmond. 

"  Recurring  to  the  idea  of  going  to  Richmond  on  the  inside 
track,  the  facility  of  supplying'  from  the  side  away  from  the 
enemy  is  remarkable — as  it  were  by  the  different  spokes  of  a 
wheel  extending  from  the  hub  towards  the  rim — and  this 
whether  you  move  directly  by  the  chord,  or  on  the  inside  arc, 
hugging  the  Blue  Ridge  more  closely.  The  chord  line,  as  you 
see,  carries  you  by  Aldie,  Haymarket  and  Fredericksburg  ; 
and  you  see  how  turnpikes,  railroads,  and  finally  the  Potomac 
by  Aquia  Creek,  meet  you  at  all  points  from  Washington. 
The  same,  only  the  lines  lengthened  a  little,  if  you  press  closer 
to  the  Blue  Ridge  part  of  the  way.  The  gaps  through  the 
Blue  Ridge,  I  understand  to  be  about  the  following  distances 
from  Harper's  Ferry,  to  wit :  Vestal's,  five  miles  ;  Gregory's, 
thirteen  ;  Snicker's,  eighteen  ;  Ashby's,  twenty-eight ;  Man- 
assas, thirty-eight  ;  Chester's  forty-five  ;  and  Thornton's,  fifty- 
three.  I  should  think  it  preferable  to  take  the  route  nearest  the 
enemy,  disabling  him  from  making  an  important  move  without 
your  knowledge,  and  compelling  him  to  keep  his  forces  to- 
gether, for  dread  of  you.  The  gaps  would  enable  you  to  at- 
tack if  you  should  wish.  For  a  great  part  of  the  way,  you 
would  be  practically  between  the  enemy  and  both  Washington 
and  Richmond,  enabling  us  to  spare  you  the  greatest  number 
of  troops  from  here.  When  at  length  running  for  Richmond 
ahead  of  him  enables  him  to  move  this  waj',  if  he  does  so,  turn 
and  attack  him  in  rear.  But  I  think  he  should  be  engaged 
long  before  such  point  is  reached.  It  is  all  easy,  if  our  troops 
march  as  well  as  the  enemy,  and  it  is  unmanly  to  say  they 
cannot  do  it.     This  letter  is  in  no  sense  an  order. 

"  Yours  truly,  A.  Lincoln." 


168  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Octobee, 

It  was  evident,  by  the  latter  part  of  October,  that  the  move- 
ment could  not  be  delayed  longer  upon  any  pretext.  But  the 
weather  had  now  become  cold  and  stormy  The  rains  made 
the  roads  heavy,  and  the  tops  of  the  mountains  began  to  whiten, 
as  the  early  snows  settled  down  upon  them.  General  Halleck 
became  more  and  more  impatient,  and  somewhat  sharp  in  his 
language.  At  last,  on  the  26th  of  October,  the  army  com- 
menced crossing  the  Potomac  upon  a  ponton  bridge,  at  Berlin, 
the  divisions  of  Generals  Burns  and  Sturgis  of  the  Ninth 
Corps,  being  in  advance,  with  General  Pleasonton's  cavalry. 
The  weather  was  very  bad,  and  the  troops  suffered  much. 
Having  spent  the  fine  weather  in  camp,  the  army  moved  in  a 
storm.  Two  detached  divisions,  respectively  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Stoneman  and  General  Whipple,  were  now 
added  to  the  command  of  General  Burnside,  and  these,  with 
the  two  divisions  of  the  Ninth  Corps  already  across,  formed 
the  vanguard  of  the  army.  The  command,  with  the  exception 
of  General  Stoneman's  division,  marched  to  Lovettsville  and 
on  the  night  of  the  26th  there  encamped.  On  the  27th  Gen- 
eral Getty's  division  crossed.  The  cavalry  advanced  to  Pur- 
cellsville.  General  Stoneman's  division  crossed  at  Edwards' 
Ferry  on  the  20th  and  occupied  Leesburg.  The  other  portions 
of  the  army  crossed  at  different  times  between  the  26th  of  Octo- 
ber and  the  2d  of  November,  at  Berlin  and  other  places  below. 
The  movement,  thus  commenced,  was  continued  with  com- 
mendable promptness — both  with  caution  and  celerity.  The 
Ninth  Corps,  having  the  advance  with  General  Pleasonton's 
cavalry,  came  occasionally  into  collision  with  the  enemy's  skir- 
mishers. But  in  general  the  march  was  made  with  but  little 
serious  interruption.  The  gaps  of  the  mountains  were  succes- 
sively occupied,  and  the  army  wound  its  way  along  upon  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Blue  Eidge. 

On  the  2d  of  November  the  Ninth  Corps  advanced  to  Bloom- 
field,  Union  and  Philomont.  On  the  4th  it  was  at  Upper- 
ville.  On  the  5th  it  was  beyond  the  Manassas  Railroad, 
between   Piedmont   and    Salem,  with   one  brigade   guarding 


1862.]  AFTER   ANTIETAM.  169 

Manassas  Gap.  On  the  6th  the  corps  had  moved  up  to  and 
occupied  Waterloo  and  its  neighborhood  on  the  Rappahannock. 
The  army  was  closed  up  on  the  two  following  days,  and  on  the 
evening  of  the  9th  the  entire  command  was  in  position  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  first,  second  and  fifth  corps,  reserve  artillery  and 
general  headquarters  were  at  Warrenton ;  the  Ninth  Corps  on 
the  line  of  the  Rappahannock,  in  the  vicinity  of  Waterloo  ;  the 
sixth  corps  at  New  Baltimore  ;  the  eleventh  corps  at  New  Bal- 
timore, Gainesville  and  Thoroughfare  Gap  ;  Sickles's  division 
of  the  third  corps  on  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad  from 
Manassas  Junction  to  Warrenton  Junction  ;  Pleasonton  across 
the  Rappahannock  at  Annissville,  Jefferson,  &c,  with  his 
pickets  at  Hazel  river  facing  Longstreet,  six  miles  from  Cul- 
pepper Court  House ;  Bayard  near  Rappahannock  station."* 
The  enemy  had  not  yet  emerged  from  the  Shenandoah  valley 
with  his  entire  force.  Gener-al  Longstreet  "  was  immediately 
in  our  front  near  Culpepper,"  with  the  advance  of  the  rebel 
army.  But  the  remainder  of  the  enemy's  command  had  not 
yet  come  up.  General  Jackson  with — as  supposed — Generals 
A.  P  and  D.  H.  Hill,  was  near  Chester's  and  Thornton's  Gaps, 
and  the  most  of  their  force  was  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  A 
heavy  snow  storm  set  in  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  and  con- 
tinued for  two  days,  changing  to  rain.  The  situation  was  ex- 
cessively uncomfortable,  and  the  roads  were  in  very  bad  condi- 
tion. But  the  entire  command  was  well  closed  up.  And  as 
no  apprehensions  were  entertained  of  any  immediate  trouble 
with  the  enemy,  the  army  was  in  good  spirits,  "  perfectly  in 
hand  "  and  in  "  excellent  condition  to  fight  a  great  battle." 

Late  on  the  night  of*  the  7th,  a  special  messenger  from  the 
War  Department  at  Washington  arrived  at  General  McClel- 
lan's  Headquarters,  bearing  the  following  order : 

"  Washington,  Nov.  5,  1862. 
"  By  direction  of  the   President  of  the  United  States,  it  is 
ordered  that    Major  General  McClellan  be  relieved  from  the 

*McClellan's  Report,  p.  237. 
22 


170  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Novembek, 

command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  that  Major  General 
Burnside  take  the  command  of  that  army. 

"  By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 

E.   D.  Townsend,  Ass't.  Adjt.   Gen. 

On  the  9th  of  November  General  Burnside  assumed  the 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  issued  the  follow- 
ing order : 

"  Headquarters,  Armt  of  the  Potomac, 
"  Warrenton,  Va.,  Nov.  9,  1862. 
"  General  Orders,  No.  1. 

"  In  accordance  with  General  Orders,  No.  182,  issued  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  I  hereby  assume  command 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

"  Patriotism  and  the  exercise  of  my  every  energy,  in  the 
direction  of  this  army,  aided  by  the  full  and  hearty  cooperation 
of  its  officers  and  men,  will,  I  hope,  under  the  blessing  of  God, 
ensure  its  success. 

"  Having  been  a  sharer  of  the  privations  and  a  witness  of  the 
bravery  of  the  old  army  of  the  Potomac  in  the  Maryland  cam- 
paign, and  fully  identified  in  their  feelings  of  respect  and  esteem 
for  General  McClellan,  entertained  through  a  long  and  most 
friendly  association  with  him,  I  feel  that  it  is  not  as  a  stranger 
that  I  assume  this  command. 

"  To  the  Ninth  Corps,  so  long  and  intimately  associated  with 
me,  I  need  say  nothing  ;  our  histories  are  identical. 

"  With  diffidence  for  myself,  but  with  a  proud  confidence  in 
the  unswerving  loyalty  and  determination  of  the  gallant  army 
now  entrusted  to  my  care,  I  accept  its  control  with  the  stead- 
fast assurance  that  the  just  cause  must  prevail. 

"  A.  E.  Burnside, 
"  Major  General  Commanding." 

General  Burnside's  assignment  to  the  command  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac   separated   him  for  a  time  from  the  intimate, 


1862.]  AFTER   ANTIETAM.  171 

personal  control  of  the  Ninth  Corps  which  he  had  heretofore 
exercised.  The  confidence  and  esteem  which  had  existed  be- 
tween the  men  and  officers  of  the  corps  and  himself  continued 
unabated.  But  they  were  now  obliged  to  look  to  another 
commander,  to  be  immediately  present  with  them  in  the  scenes 
of  danger  and  duty  which  were  now  before  them.  Major  Gen- 
eral Parke  followed  his  friend  and  became  Chief  of  Staff  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  Brigadier  General  Orlando  B.  Will- 
cox,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Ninth 
Corps  upon  the  retirement  of  General  Cox,  was  still  continued 
in  command.  The  organization  of  the  corps  at  this  time  was 
as  follows  :  First  Division  under  the  command  of  Brigadier 
General  W  W  Burns,  consisting  of  two  brigades,  respectively 
under  the  command  of  Colonels  Thomas  Welsh  and  B.  C. 
Christ ;  Second  Division  under  the  command  of  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Samuel  D.  Sturgis,  consisting  of  two  brigades  respectively 
under  the  command  of  Brigadier  Generals  James  Nagle  and 
Edward  Ferrero  ;  Third  Division  under  the  command  of  Briga- 
dier General  G.  W  Getty,  consisting  of  two  brigades  respect- 
ively under  the  command  of  Colonels  B.  C.  Hawkins  and  Ed- 
ward Harland.  The  artillery  was  distributed  as  follows  : 
First  Division,  Dickinson's  Battery  E,  4th  New  York  artillery, 
and  Durell's  Battery  A,  104th  Pennsylvania  artillery  ;  Second 
Division,  Benjamin's  Battery  E,  2d  United  States  artillery, 
Cook's  8th  Massachusetts  battery ;  Third  Division,  Whitney's 
howitzer  battery,  9th  New  York,  Edwards's  two  sections  each 
of  batteries  L  and  M,  3d  United  States,  and  Muhlenburg's 
battery  A,  5th  United  States  Artillery.  General  Willcox  had 
already  seen  much  and  painful  service  and  it  may  not  be  inap- 
propriate to  insert  here  a  brief  account  in  detail?  of  his  career  up 
to  this  point. 

Orlando  Bolivar  Willcox  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  April 
16,  1823.  Securing  an  appointment  to  the  Military  Academy 
at  West  Point,  he  graduated  from  that  institution,  the  eighth 
in  his  class,  June,  1817.  He  was  promoted  to  Second  Lieu- 
tenant July  1,  1847,  was  soon  after  assigned  to  Light  Battery 


172  ARMY   OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [November, 

G,  4th  United  States  Artillery,  joined  his  company  in  Mexico, 
and  served  with  faitlffulness  and  efficiency  in  that  country,  on 
the  Western  Plains,  in  Texas  and  in  Florida.  He  was  also  sta- 
tioned at  different  times  at  Forts  Washington,  Ontario,  Mif- 
flin and  Independence.  He  was  promoted  to  a  First  Lieuten- 
ancy in  1850.  But  his  tastes  afterwards  led  him  towards  civil 
life,  and  on  the  10th  of  September,  1857  he  resigned  his  com- 
mission in  the  army,  was  immediately  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
Detroit,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  the  profession  of  law  in 
his  native  city.  He  was  gradually  winning  his  way-  to  an 
honorable  place  in  his  new  profession,  when  the  rebellion  broke 
out.  Like  other  army  officers  who  had  retired  to  civil  life,  he 
heard  the  summons  to  arms — as  though  it  was  personally 
addressed  to  himself.  He  accepted  the  command  of  the  1st 
Eeo-iment  of  Michigan  Volunteers,  and  was  mustered  into  the 
service  of  the  United  States  as  Colonel  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1861.  When  the  decision  was  made  to  march  into  Virginia, 
the  1st  Michigan  was  selected  to  form  a  portion  of  the  force. 
Colonel  Willcox  led  his  regiment  into  Alexandria  on  the  night 
of  the  24th  of  May,  and  captured  a  company  of  rebel  cavalry 
that  was  quartered  there  under  command  of  Captain  Ball.  He 
was  appointed  Military  Governor  of  the  city  upon  its  perma- 
nent occupation  by  our  troops:  In  the  advance  on  Manassas, 
Colonel  Willcox  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Second 
Brigade  in  Colonel  Heintzelman's  Division,  and,  marching  on 
Fairfax  Station,  July  17th,  took  eleven  prisoners  and  one  stand 
of  colors. 

In  the  battle  of  Bull  Bun  on  the  21st  of  July,  Colo- 
nel Willcox's  brigade  was  engaged  about  noon  and  fought 
very  bravely,  until  its  commander  was  severely  wounded  and 
taken  prisoner,  when  its  position  was  turned,  and  the  army  was 
driven  back  to  Centreville.  Colonel  Willcox  tasted  the  bitter- 
ness of  Southern  imprisonment,  at  Bichmond,  Charleston, 
Columbia  and  Salisbury,  at  one  time  being  held  as  one  of  the 
hostages  for  some  captured  privateersmen  whom  we  held  in  our 
hands.     For  a  period  of  twelve  months  and  twenty-six  days  he 


-a?,  "by-  AH.  tv. 


1862.]  AFTER   ANTIETAM.  173 

was  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  In  August,  1862, 
he  was  released,  to  the  great  joy  of  his  friends,  and  was  immedi- 
ately appointed  Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers,  his  commis- 
sion dating  from  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Bull  Bun,  July  21, 
1861. 

On  the  8th  of  September  he  joined  the  Ninth  Corps  at 
Leesboro',  Md.,  and  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  divi- 
sion lately  under  the  command  of  the  lamented  General  Stevens. 
From  that  time  forward  until  the  end  of  the  war,  General 
Willcox  was  connected  with  the  Ninth  Corps,  serving  some- 
times in  command  of  the  Corps,  sometimes  in  command  of  a 
division,  and  proving  himself,  as  the  reader  will  have  occasion  to 
see  in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  a  gallant  soldier  and  an  honor- 
able gentleman.  He  had  long  been  an  intimate  friend  of  General 
Burnside,  and  the  two  companions  in  arms  shared  together 
many  a  scene  of  peril  and  of  glory. 


174  ARMY    OP   THE   POTOMAC.  [NOVEMBEB, 


CHAPTER    V 


TOWARDS    FREDERICKSBURG. 


WHAT  to  do  with  the  large  army  now  entrusted  to  his 
guidance  was  now  the  anxious  question  which  General 
Burnside  discussed  with  himself.  He  accepted  the  command 
with  the  greatest  reluctance.  "With  as  genuine  a  modesty  as 
that  which  characterized  Washington  himself,  when  he  was 
appointed  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  armies  in  our  Revolution, 
he  shrank  from  the  responsibility  and  the  task.  He  confessed 
that  he  was  not  competent  for  the  command.  Washington, 
with  all  his  consciousness  of  the  possession  of  great  gifts,  did 
not  hesitate  to  write  to  his  wife  and  his  intimate  friends,  that 
he  considered  the  duty  as  "  a  trust  too  great  for  "  his  "  capa- 
city ;"  and  also  to  declare  in  his  place  in  the  Congress 
that  appointed  him:  "I  beg  it  may  be  remembered  by 
every  gentleman  in  the  room,  that  I  this  day  declare,  with  the 
utmost  sincerity,  »I  do  not  think  myself  equal  to  the  com- 
mand I  am  honored  with."  But,  in  writing  to  his  wife,  he 
said,  "  I  shall  rely  confidently  on  that  Providence  which  has 
heretofore  preserved  and  been  bountiful  to  me."  General 
Burnside  had  as  sincere  a  humility  and  as  profound  a  trust. 
He  has  never  rated  himself  at  as  high  an  estimate  as  his  friends 
are  accustomed  to  place  upon  him.  He  has  cherished  no 
particle  of  that  overweening  self-confidence  which  considers 
itself  equal  to  every  duty  and  every  occasion,  and  which  boast- 
fully promises  large  results  ere  yet  the  enterprise  has  fairly 
commenced.  It  might  have  been  an  undue  self-distrust  that 
led  him  to  say  that  he  did   not  consider  himself  competent  to 


1862.]  TOWARDS    FREDERICKSBURG.  175 

command  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  but  the  remark  was  made 
with  entire  sincerity. 

General  Burnside's  feelings  at  this  time  may  be  clearly  un- 
derstood by  the  language  which  he  used  in  a  letter  that  he  wrote 
to  one  of  his  friends,  under  date  of  November  21, 1862.  "  You," 
he  wrote,  "  who  know  how  much  I  feel  any  responsibility 
placed  upon  me,  can  readily  imagine  how  much  of  my  time  is 
occupied  with  this  enormous  command.  You  will  remember 
that  when  I  was  with  you  in  the  field  with  a  comparatively 
small  command,  I  felt  that  I  could  do  nothing  of  myself,  and  I 
then  felt,  more  than  ever  in  my  life,  the  need  of  an  entire  reli- 
ance upon  an  all-wise  Creator.  But  now  the  responsibility  is 
so  great  that  at  times  I  tremble  at  the  thought  of  assuming 
that  I  am  able  to  exercise  so  large  a  command.  Yet,  when  I 
think  that  I  have  made  no  such  assumption ;  that  I  have 
shunned  the  responsibility,  and  only  accepted  it  when  I  was 
ordered  to  do  it,  and  when  it  would  have  been  disloyal  and  un- 
friendly to  our  government  not  to  do  it,  then  I  take  courage, 
and  I  approach  our  Heavenly  Father  with  freedom  and  trust- 
fulness, confident  that  if  I  can  act  honestly  and  industriously, 
constantly  asking  His  protection  and  assistance,  all  will  be  well, 
no  matter  how  dark  everything  now  seems  to  me."  In  the 
spirit  of  such  a  noble  self-distrust  and  of  such  a  complete  faith 
in  Divine  Providence  did  General  Burnside  take  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

It  was  a  vast  responsibility.  All  the  forces  that  were  guard- 
ing the  Upper  Potomac,  and  those  that  were  in  the  defences 
around  Washington,  were  then  subject  to  the  orders  of  the 
general  commanding  this  army.  Not  only  was  General  Burn- 
side  to  fight  the  foe  immediately  before  him,  but  he  was  also 
to  guard  the  approaches  to  the  Capital  by  flank  and  rear.  In 
round  numbers,  there  were,  on  the  10th  of  November,  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  men,  fit  for  duty,  distributed 
around  the  points  which  have  been  named.  Of  these,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy-four 
officers  and  men  were  in  the  immediate  front  facing  the  enemy. 


176  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Novembeb, 

The  command  of  this  immediate  army  was  a  position  and  duty 
of  no  small  magnitude.     It   was  a   force   which   must  be  effec- 

© 

tively  used  upon  the  foes  of  the  country.  It  must  not  be  al- 
lowed to  remain  inactive.  Though  the  season  was  now  far  ad- 
vanced, and  the  frequent  storms  that  had  prevailed  seemed  to 
indicate  that  winter  had  set  in,  it  was  yet  hoped  that  a  decisive 
blow  might  be  struck.  Early  in  the  autumn  a  levy  of  three 
hundred  thousand  men,  for  nine  months'  service,  had  been 
made,  and  it  would  be  ruinous  to  the  finances  and  faith  of  the 
country  to  leave  this  immense  force  unemployed.  The  coun- 
try, the  President  and  the  General-in-Chief  had  been  impatient 
of  the  slow  policy  which  General  McClellan  had  seen  fit  to 
adopt,  and  it  was  deemed  best  that  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
should  take  the  aggressive.  General  Burnside  believed  that 
there  was  ample  time  yet  to  carry  on  a  campaign  against  Rich- 
mond. The  military  strength  of  the  Union  seemed  to  lie  in 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  who  could  lead  that  army  to  a 
victory,  which  would  break  the  military  power  of  the  rebellion 
residing  in  General  Lee's  "  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,"  would 
be  hailed  as  the  deliverer  of  the  Republic.  Such  a  victory 
would  be  a  great  public  benefit,  as  well  as  a  prize  brilliant 
enough  to  satisfy  any  man's  ambition.  But  it  could  not  be 
won  by  any  hand  that  derived  its  strength  from  personal  am- 
bition. Whatever  was  to  be  done  must  be  done  with  a  spirit 
of  humble,  loyal,  faithful  duty. 

Having  received  the  order  assigning  him  to  the  command  of 

©  ©  © 

the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  General  Burnside's  next  step  was 
to  devise  some  plan  for  future  operations.  A  movemeut  upon 
Gordonsville,  or  even  upon  Culpepper,  appeared  hardly  feasi- 
ble, as  it  was  liable  to  the  risk  of  fighting  an  uncertain  battle 
at  a  distance  from  the  base.  It  is  most  probable  that  General 
McClellan  had  been  contemplating  a  movement  in  a  different 
direction,  as  on  the  6th  of  November,  before  he  had  been  re- 
lieved of  command,  he  had  given  orders  for  the  removal  of  his 
ponton  train  from  Berlin  to   Washington,  with   a  view  to  its 


1862.]  TOWARDS    FREDERICKSBURG.  177 

further  use  at  a  subsequent  and  early  day.*  General  Haupt, 
the  superintendent  of  transportation,  did  not  report  encourag- 
ingly respecting  the  condition  of  the  railroad  from  Alexandria 
for  forwarding  supplies.  The  President,  in  his  letter  of  Octo- 
ber 13th,  had  very  strongly  expressed  his  opinion  respecting 
the  proper  route  of  the  army  towards  Richmond.  This  letter 
was  placed  in  General  Burnside's  hands  at  the  same  time  with 
the  order  assigning  him  to  the  command.  The  suggestions 
thus  made  were  not  indeed  to  be  considered  as  orders,  but 
rather  as  indications  of  the  President's  plan  of  action.  Of 
course,  they  had  all  the  weight  which  Mr.  Lincoln's  sagacity 
and  position  could  give  to  them.  Some  of  them  already  had 
been  followed.  The  army  had  moved  down  the  east  side  of 
Blue  Ridge,  quite  near  to  the  enemy,  "  disabling  him  from 
making  any  important  move  without "  the  knowledge  of  the 
general  commanding  our  army,  and  "  compelling  him  to  keep 
his  forces  together  for  dread  of"  us.  But  Mr.  Lincoln  had 
suggested  another  operation,  viz.  :  moving  upon  the  chord  of 
a  circle,  while  the  enemy  was  moving  upon  the  arc.     He  had 

*  General  McClellan,  in  his  report,  endeavors  to  make  the  impression,  with- 
out directly  asserting  it,  that  he  was  about  to  fight  a  great  battle  with  the  ene- 
my at  the  time  of  his  removal  from  the  command.  An  examination  of  his  lan- 
guage will  show  that  he  does  not  distinctly  state  that  it  was  his  real  intention 
to  fight.  He  hoped  that  he  could  either  "  separate  the  enemy's  army  and  beat 
it  in  detail,"  or  else  force  him  to  "concentrate  as  far  back  as  Gordonsville,  and 
thus  place  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  position  either  to  adopt  the  Fredericks- 
burg line  of  advance  upon  Richmond  or  to  be  removed  to  the  Peninsula." 
"  Had  I  remained  in  command,"  he  says  again,  "  I  should  have  made  the  at- 
tempt to  divide  the  enemy."  Afterwards  he  declares  that  he  followed  the  re- 
treating enemy  to  a  position  where  he  was  "  confident  of  decisive  victory, 
when  in  the  midst  of  the  movement,  while"  the  "  advance  guard  was  actually 
in  contact  with  the  enemy,"  he  was  removed  from  command.  His  plan  to  di- 
vide the  enemy  was  to  march  in  between  Culpepper  Court  House  and  Little 
"Washington.  Its  success  was  problematical.  He  certainly  had  the  Freder- 
icksburg route  in  mind,  and  was  preparing  for  it  by  ordering  his  ponton  bridge 
to  Washington,  there  to  be  put  upon  wheels  and  be  in  readiness  to  march  at 
once.  This  train  was  certainly  not  intended  for  an  early  advance  towards 
Gordonsville.  What  he  says  about  his  advance  guard  was  entirely  irrelevant, 
inasmuch  as  it  had  been  "in  contact  with  the  enemy"  from  the  day  it  had 
crossed  the  Potomac.  At  the  time  he  was  relieved,  there  were  no  indications 
of  an  impending  engagement. 

23 


178  AKMT    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Novembeb, 

also  expressly  mentioned  Fredericksburg  as  one  of  the  places 
or  points  through  which  this  chord  passed,  and  within  easy 
and  uninterrupted  communication  with  Washington  and  other 
parts  of  the  country,  by  way  of  the  railroad  to  Aquia  Creek 
and  the  Potomac  river. 

With  these  suggestions  in  mind,  General  Burnside  prepared 
his  plan  of  operations.  Accompanying  the  order  assigning  him 
to  the  command  was  an  order  from  General  Halleck,  directing 
him  to  report  what  he  "  purposed  doing  with  "  his  troops. 
On  the  9th  of  November  General  Burnside  prepared  his  plan, 
and  on  the  10th  sent  it  to  Washington  by  Major  E.  M.  jSTeill, 
who,  on  the  11th,  delivered  it  to  General  G.  W  Cullum,  Gen- 
eral Halleck's  Chief  of  Staff.  That  plan  can  best  be  stated  in 
General  Burnside's  own  words.     It  was  as  follows  : 

"  In  accordance  with  the  order  of  the  General  in  Chief,  of 
the  5th  inst.,  I  have  the  honor  to  make  the  following  report  of 
the  movement  proposed  for  this  army  :  • 

"  To  concentrate  all  the  forces  near  this  place,  and  impress 
upon  the  enemy  a  belief  that  we  are  to  attack  Culpepper  or 
Gordonsville,  and  at  the  same  time  accumulate  a  four  or  five 
days'  supply  for  the  men  and  animals.  Then  make  a  rapid 
move  of  the  whole  force  to  Fredericksburg,  with  a  view  to  a 
movement  upon  Richmond  from  that  point.  The  following  are 
my  reasons  for  deciding  upon  this  plan : 

"  If  we  move  upon  Culpepper  and  GordonsVille,  with  a  fight 
there,  or  a  general  engagement,  even  with  results  in  our  favor, 
the  enemy  will  have  many  lines  of  retreat  for  his  defeated  army, 
and  will  in  all  likelihood  be  able  to  reach  Richmond  with 
enough  of  his  force  to  render  it  necessary  to  fight  another  bat- 
tle at  that  place,  and  should  he  leave  even  one  corps,  with 
cavalry,  on  our  right  flank,  it  would  render  the  pursuit  very 
precarious,  owing  to  the  great  lack  of  supplies  in  this  country, 
and  the  liability  to  an  interruption  of  our  communications  with 
Washington.  Should  the  enemy  retreat  in  the  direction  of 
Richmond  upon  our  approach  to  Culpepper  and  Gordonsville, 
we  would  simply  follow  a  retreating  army  well  supplied  with 


1862,]  TOWARDS    FREDERICKSBURG.  179 

provisions,  at  least  at  depots  in  his  rear,  whilst  this  army 
would  have  to  rely  upon  a  long  line   of  communications  for  its 
supplies,  and  as  in  the  other  case,  a  small  portion   of  the  ene- 
my's force  on  our  flank  might  tend  to  interrupt  our  communi- 
cations.    It  may  be  well  to  add  here,  while  on  the  subject  of 
interrupted  communications,  that  the  enemy's  sources  for  gain- 
ing information  are  far  superior  to  our  own.     The  General  in 
Chief  will  readily  understand  the   reason: — the,  difference   is 
more  than  usual  in  their  favor  at  present,  from  the  fact  that 
nearly  all  the  negroes  are   being  run  South,  and  kept  under 
strict  guard.     Should  the  enemy  retreat  before  us  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Staunton   and  Lynchburg,  the  same  difficulty  would 
follow,  with  the  certainty  that  he  would  also  have  a  small  por- 
tion of  his  force  on  our  left  flank.     In  moving  by  way  of  Fred- 
ericksburg, there  is  no  point  up  to   the  time  when  we  should 
reach  that  place  at  which  we  will  not  be  nearer  to  Washington' 
than  the  enemy,  and  we  will   all   the  time   be   on   the  shortest 
road  to  Richmond,  the  taking  of  which,  I  think,  should  be  the 
great  object  of  the  campaign,  as   the  fall  of  that  place  would 
tend  more  to   cripple  the   rebel   cause  than   almost  any  other 
military  event  except  the  absolute  breaking  up  of  their  army. 
The  presence  of  a  large  army  on  the  Fredericksburg  line  would 
•render  it  almost  impossible  for  the  enemy  to  make  a  successful 
move  upon   Washington,  by  any  road  upon   this   side  of  the 
Potomac.     I  take  it  that  there  are  forces  enough  at  Washing;- 
ton,  and  on  the  line  of  the  Potomac  connected  with  the  fortifi- 
cations  about  Washington,  to  repulse   any  movement  of  the 
enemy  on  the  Capital   by  way  of  the  Upper  Potomac.     It  is 
hardly  probable  that  he  would  attempt  any  serious  invasion  of 
Pennsylvania  at  this   season   of  the  year,  and  even  should  he 
make  a  lodgement  in  that  State  of  any  force  that  he  can  spare, 
the  destruction  of  that  force  would  be  the  result  very  soon  after 
winter  sets   in.     The  destruction   of  property  by   him  would 
be  small  in  comparison   with   the   other  expenses  of  the  war. 
Could  the  army  before  Richmond  be  beaten  and  the  rebel  capital 
taken,  the  loss  of  half  a   dozen   of  our  towns  and  cities  in  the 


180  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Novembek, 

interior  of  Pennsylvania  could  well  be  afforded.  A  movement 
of  the  enemy  upon  Baltimore  I  consider  altogether  improbable, 
as  an  attack  upon  that  place  would  render  the  destruction  of 
the  city  certain. 

"  In  connection  with  this  movement  in  the  direction  of  Fred- 
ericksburg, I  would  suggest  that  at  least  thirty  canal  boats 
and  barges  be  at  once  loaded  with  commissary  stores  and  for- 
age and  be  towed  to  the  neighborhood  of  Aquia  Creek,  from 
which  place  they  can  be  brought  into  Belle  Plain  after  the 
'arrival  of  our  force  in  that  vicinity.  These  should  be  followed 
at  once  by  enough  stores  and  forage  to  subsist  the  army  for 
forty  days.  A  great  portion  of  these,  I  think,  could  be  towed 
up  the  Eappahannock  under  convoy  of  light  draft  gun  boats, 
but  that  is  a  matter  for  after  consideration.  It  will  be  also 
necessary  to  start  at  once,  from  Washington  or  Alexandria,  by 
way  of  Dumfries,  a  quantity  of  beef  cattle,  and  all  the  wagon 
trains  that  can  be  spared  filled  with  small  rations,  such  as 
bread,  salt,  coffee,  sugar,  soap  and  candles.  This  train  should 
be  preceded  by  ponton  trains  enough  to  span  the  Rappahan- 
nock with  two  tracks.  But  a  small  escort  of  cavalry  for  this 
train  would  be  necessary,  as  we  would  be  all  the  time  between 
the  enemy  and  the  train.  I  will,  however,  if  notified  of  its  de- 
parture by  telegraph,  see  that  it  is  protected  by  my  cavalry. 
During  these  movements,  it  would  be  well  for  General  Sigel 
to  remain  with  his  force  at  Centreville  and  its  neighborhood, 
holding  Manassas  Junction,  Thoroughfare  Gap,  Aldie  and 
Leesburg  with  forces  sufficient  to  protect  them  against  any 
light  attack,  any  one  of  which  can  fall  back  on  the  main  body 
if  attacked  by  too  large  a  force.  The  main  portion  of  his 
cavalry  can  be  kept  in  Loudon  county,  where  there  is  an 
abundance  of  subsistence  and  forage.  Below  Fredericksburg, 
between  the  Rappahannock  and  the  Potomac,  there  must  be 
quite  an  amount  of  forage,  which  could  be  used  by  our  broken- 
down  animals  after  we  reach  Fredericksburg.  We  will  need 
some  fresh  horses  and  mules  on  our  arrival,  which  can  be  driven 
direct  from  Washington  on  this  side  the  Potomac,  or  direct  from 


1862.]  TOWARDS    FREDERICKSBURG.  181 

Baltimore  to  Smith's  Point,  opposite  Aquia  Creek,  from  which 
place  they  can  be  brought  over  in  ferry  boats,  several  of  which 
it  would  be  advisable  to  send  us.  An  abundance  of  horses 
can  also  be  brought  by  light  draft  vessels  from  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  to  a  point  near  Belle  Plain,  where  they  can  be 
thrown  overboard  and  swim  ashore.  I  cannot  impress  too 
strongly  upon  the  General-in-Chief  the  necessity  of  furnishing 
by  all  these  means  an  abundant  supply  of  horses,  mules  and 
beef  cattle.  These  should  be  sent  to  Fredericksburg,  even  at 
the  risk  of  arriving  after  we  have  left.  After  reaching  Fred- 
ericksburg, our  wagon  trains  can  be  organized  and  filled  with 
at  least  twelve  days'  provisions,  when  a  rapid  movement  can 
be  made  upon  Richmond  direct,  by  way  of  such  roads  as  are 
open  to  us  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  army  arrives  in  front  of  the 
place,  an  attack  should  be  made  at  once,  and  with  a  strong  hope 
of  success.  The  details  of  the  movement  from  Fredericksburg 
I  will  give  you  hereafter. 

"  A  great  reason  for  feeling  that  the  Fredericksburg;  route 
is  the  best  is  that  if  we  are  detained  by  the  elements  it  would 
be  much  better  for  us  to  be  on  that  line. 

"  I  hope  the  General  in  Chief  will  impress  upon  the  Secretary 
of  War  the  necessity  of  sanctioning  the  changes  which  I  now 
propose  to  make  in  this  army  : 

"  First,  to  divide  it  into  three  grand  divisions,  right,  left  and 
centre,  under  command  of  the  three  ranking  Generals  present. 

"  Second,  to  do  away  with  the  very  massive  and  elaborate 
Adjutant  General's  office  at  these  headquarters,  and  require 
the  different  commanders  of  the  grand  divisions  and  corps  to 
correspond  directly  with  Washington  in  reference  to  all  such 
matters  as  resignations,  leaves  of  absence,  discharges,  recruit- 
ing service,  &c,  &c,  about  which  they  necessarily  know  more 
than  I  do.  I  should  have  to  be  governed  by  their  suggestions, 
and  the  attention  to  these  matters  in  detail  would  surround  me 
with  a  large  number  of  staff  officials  and  embarrass  me  with  a 
responsibility  which  I  cannot  assume. 

"  Third,   to  make  Brigadier  General  Seth   Williams  an  in- 


182  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Novembeb, 

spector  of  the  different  staff  departments  of  the  command,  by 
which  means  I  shall  ascertain  if  these  duties  are  properly  per- 
formed by  the  persons  to  whom  they  are  delegated. 

"  To  keep  my  own  Adjutant  General,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Lewis  Richmond  at  my  Headquarters,  and  to  use  as  far  as  pos- 
sible my  own  staff  officers,  with  promotions  necessary  to  their 
positions.  I  shall  make  as  few  changes  as  possible,  but  I  am 
very  anxious  to  keep  my  staff  as  small  as  possible  and  to  throw 
the  labor  and  detail  upon  the  officers  immediately  in  command 
of  the  troops.  A  telegraph  from  you  approving  of  my  plans 
will  put  us  to  work  at  once." 

General  Burnside's  plan  was,  in  brief,  to  demonstrate  towards 
Culpepper,  and  then  to  make  a  rapid  march  to  Falmouth,  to 
cross  the  Rappahannock  upon  pontons  at  that  place,  to  seize 
Fredericksburg  and  the  heights  beyond,  and  to  establish  a  tem- 
porary base  of  supplies  at  Aquia  Creek.  The  movement 
beyond  Fredericksburg  was  to  be  a  matter  for  subsequent  con- 
sideration. But  it  was  in  General  Burnside's  mind  to  push 
immediately  on  towards  Richmond  upon  the  roads  leading 
through  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Bowling  Green  and  the 
villages  beyond ;  have  supplies  in  Avaiting  at  York  river,  then 
cross  the  peninsula  rapidly  to  the  James  river,  and  with  that  for 
abase,  march  direct  upon  the  city  of  his  destination. 

General  Burnside  did  not  fix  upon  his  plan  of  operations  with- 
out consultation  with  other  officers.  .He  was  aware  of  the  value 
which  attached  to  the  advice  of  those  who  had  made  the  art  of 
war  a  study,  and  he  was  ready  to  listen  to  any  suggestions  which 
his  brethren  in  arms  mio;ht  make.  He  was  not  tenacious 
of  his  own  opinion,  except  as  it  could  be  supported  by  reasons 
which  he  deemed  more  powerful  than  those  adduced  by  others. 
General  Sigel  suggested  to  General  Burnside  a  plan,  which 
contemplated  a  march  towards  the  James  River,  striking  it 
above  Richmond,  near  Louisa  Court  House.  But  this  proposi- 
tion was  rejected  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  moving  the 
army  through  hostile  territory  to  so  great  a  distance  from  the 
base  of  supplies  in  an  uncertain  season   of  the  year.     General 


1862.]  TOWARDS    FREDERICKSBURG.  183 

Burnside  adhered  to  his  own  plan,   as  in   all  respects  the  most 
feasible  of  any  that  occurred  or  were  proposed  to  him. 

Immediately  upon  the  reception  of  General  Burnside's  plan, 
General  Halleck  made  arrangements  for  an  early  interview  at 
Warrenton.  The  consultation  took  place  on  the  12th  and  con- 
tinued through  a  considerable  part  of  the  night  and  the  follow- 
ing day.  Generals  Meigs  and  Haupt  accompanied  General 
Halleck  and  occasionally  participated  in  the  council..  It  was  a 
very  important  interview  and  had  a  decided  effect  upon  the 
issue  of  the  campaign.  The  two  officers  were  very  earnest  in 
the  support  of  their  respective  opinions  and  the  points  presented 
in  General  Burnside's  paper  were  fully  examined  and  discussed. 
General  Halleck  urged  the  expediency  of  continuing  the  march 
of  the  army,  retaining  its  present  base,  which  would  carry  it 
towards  Culpepper,  assuming  that  that  was  the  line  suggested 
by  the  President.  General  Burnside  was  strenuous  in  his 
advocacy  of  the  plan  which  he  had  already  submitted,  contend- 
ing that  that  was  in  accordance  with  Mr.  Lincoln's  letter. 
After  a  long  discussion,  it  was  agreed  that  General  Halleck 
would  not  take  the  responsibility  of  ordering  the  movement, 
but  would  consult  the  President  in  relation  to  the  matter.  If 
that  functionary  approved  the  new  plan,  General  Halleck 
would  telegraph  from  Washington  to  that  effect,  immediately 
upon  his  return.  .General  Burnside  also  represented  to  Gene- 
ral Halleck  that,  if  the  movement  on  Fredericksburg  was 
made,  telegraphic  communication  with  Washington  would 
necessarily  be  broken,  and  that  General  Halleck  would  be  re- 
lied upon  to  provide  for  carrying  out  such  parts  of  the  plan  as 
required  action  at  Washington.  He  was  assured  that  due 
attention  would  be  paid  to  the  subject  by  General  Halleck,  and 
that  the  General  in  Chief  himself  would  at  once  "  order  by 
telegraph  the  ponton  trains  spoken  of"  in  the  plan,  and 
"  would,  upon  his  return  to  Washington  see  that  they  were 
promptly  forwarded."*     Thus  matters  stood  at  the  conclusion 

*Burnside's    Report. 


184  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [November, 

of  the  interview,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  13th  General  Hal- 
leck  returned  to  Washington.  On  the  morning  of  the  14th,  he 
telegraphed  to  General  Burnside :  "The  President  has  just 
assented  to  your  plan.  He  thinks  it  will  succeed  if  you  move 
rapidly,  otherwise  not."  General  Burnside  immediately  issued 
his  orders  for  the  movement  of  the  army. 

A  conflict  of  statement  now  appears  between  Generals  Burn- 
side and  Halleck,  which  it  is  necessary  to  examine.  General 
Halleck,  in  his  annual  report  for  1832— '63,  declares  that  "  Gen- 
eral Burnside  did  not  fully  concur  in  the  President's  views,  but 
finally  consented  to  so  modify  his  plan  as  to  cross  his  army  by 
the  fords  of  the  upper  Rappahannock,  and  then  move  down  and 
seize  the  heights  south  of  Fredericksburg,  while  a  small  force 
was  to  be  sent  north  of  the  river  to  enable  General  Haupt  to  re- 
open the  railroad  and  to  rebuild  the  bridges,  the  materials  for 
which  were  nearly  ready  in  Alexandria.  I  however  refused," 
adds  General  Halleck,  "  to  give  any  official  approval  of  this 
deviation  from  the  President's  instructions.  On  my  return  to 
Washington  on  the  loth,  I  submitted  to  the  President  this  pro- 
posed change  in  the  plan  of  campaign,  and  on  its  receiving  his 
assent,  rather  than  approval,  I  telegraphed  authority  to  Gene- 
ral Burnside  to  adopt  it.  I  here  refer,  not  to  General  Burn- 
side's  written  plan  to  go  to  Falmouth,  but  to  that  of  crossing 
the  Rappahannock  above  its  junction  with  the  Rapidan."*  He 
again  declares  that  General  Burnside's  "  plan  of  marching  his 
whole  army  from  Warrenton  to  Falmouth,"  "  was  never  ap- 
proved, nor  was  he  ever  authorized  to  adopt  it."  Again  he 
says,  that  General  Burnside  "  could  not  possibly  have  expect- 
ed supplies  and  pontons  to  be  landed  at  points  then  occupied 
in  force  by  the  enemy " — meaning,  it  is  presumed,  Aquia 
Creek  and  Fredericksburg.  Here  are  three  distinct  assertions, 
viz.  :  that  General  Burnside  was  deviating  from  Mr.  Lincoln's 
instructions  ;  that  the  written  plan  was  not  approved,  but  that 
some  other  verbal  plan  was  assented  to  ;  and  that  certain  points, 

♦General  Halleck's  Report,  in  Report  of  Secretary  of  War,  1863-64,  p  17. 


1862.]  TOWARDS    FREDERICKSBURG.  185 

at  which  General  Burnside  expected  supplies,  were  occupied  in 
force  by  the  enemy.  These  statements  are  contained  in  a  docu- 
ment dated  November  15,  1863.  All  these  assertions  are  both 
in  substance  and  in  form  incorrect. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  given  suggestions,  not  instructions.  His 
words  in  closing  his  letter  to  General  McClellan  are  :  "  This 
letter  is  in  no  sense  an  order."  General  Burnside  did  not  devi- 
ate from  the  President's  wishes,  if  these  are  to  be  understood 
by  his  words.  He  refers  particularly  to  Aquia  Creek  and 
Fredericksburg,  as  points  through  which  supplies  were  to  be 
forwarded,  as  the  army  moved  upon  a  "  chord  line."  The 
lines  would  be  "  lengthened  a  little,  if  you  press  closer  to  the 
Blue  Ridge  part  of  the  way."  •  The  President,  in  another  para- 
graph of  his  letter,  says  that  he  "  would  press  closely  "  to  the 
enemy,  "  fight  him,  if  a  favorable  opportunity  should  present, 
and,  at  least  try  to  beat  him  to  Richmond  on  the  inside  track" 
It  cannot  be  denied  that  General  Burnside's  plan  was  complete- 
ly in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  President's  letter,  and 
even  with  the  language  of  that  document  when  rationally  inter- 
preted. General  Halleck,  therefore,  in  accusing  General  Burn- 
side of  deviating  from  the  President's  instructions,  is  accusing 
wrongfully. 

The  second  statement,  that  the  President  assented  to  some 
other  plan  than  that  which  was  written  is  disproved  by 
General  Halleck's  own  testimony  given  before  the  Committee 
on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  on  the  22d  of  December,  1862. 
The  following  questions  by  Mr.  Gooch  and  answers  by  General 
Halleck  are  conclusive  upon  this  point :  "  Q.  '  When  you  were 
there  [at  Warrenton]  was  the  time  considered  that  it  would 
take  to  move  the  army  from  where  it  was  to  Falmouth,  opposite 
Fredericksburg  ?'  A.  '  No,  sir ;  for  it  was  not  determined  at 
that  time  that  the  movement  should  be  made.'  Q.  '  Was  it 
not  determined  it  should  be  made  provided  the  President  as- 
sented to  it  ?'  A.  '  Yes,  sir  ;  and  he  was  immediately  to  com- 
mence his  preparations  as  though  it  had  been  assented  to  until 
telegraphed  to  the  contrary,  but  not  to  make  any  movement.' 

24 


186  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [November, 

Q.  '  Was  or  was  not  the  time  requisite  for  the  movement  of 
the  army  from  where  it  was  to  Falmouth  considered  at  that 
time?'  A.  '  It  may  have  been  spoken  of  in  conversation.  We 
had  a  long  conversation  of  three  or  four  hours,  and  it  may  have 
been  alluded  to ;  nothing  definite  was  decided  upon  in  relation 
to  the  time  it  would  take.  Indeed,  I  remarked  when  I  left  him 
that  he  was  of  opinion  that  he  would  cross  a  portion  of  his  forces 
at  the  fords  above  the  junction  of  the  rivers.  That  was  the 
opinion  that  he  expressed  before  I  left.'  Q.  'And  the  residue 
at  Falmouth  ?'  A.  '  Yes,  sir.'  "*  Here  the  chief  thought,  both 
in  Mr.  Gooch's  and  General  Halleck's  minds,  was  the  move- 
ment to  Falmouth.  Only  casually  did  the  idea  of  crossing  at 
the  upper  fords  occur,  and  that"  too  in  relation  to  the  crossing 
of  a  portion  of  the  army.  It  is  evident  that  the  written  plan  of 
General  Burnside  was  the  only  plan  which  General  Halleck, 
on  the  22d  of  December,  believed  to  have  received  the  Presi- 
dent's assent.  His  idea  of  another  verbal  plan,  as  spoken  of  in 
the  following  November,  was  without  question  an  afterthought. 
Corroborative  evidence  on  this  point  is  given  in  the  testimony 
of  General  Meigs  on  the  same  day.  He  says  :  "  From 
what  little  I  heard  of  the  discussion  between  General  Halleck 
and  General  Burnside — I  only  heard  a  part  of  it — I  expected 
that  a  portion  of  General  Burnside's  army  would  cross  above 
Fredericksburg,  and  I  think  he  used  the  expression,  that  with- 
in twenty-four  or  forty-eight  hours,  I  do  not  remember  which, 
after  he  got  permission  to  move,  his  cavalry  would  be  in  Fred- 
ericksburg, the  main  body  of  his  army,  however,  not  crossing 
above  but  crossing  at  Falmouth."  General  Haupt's  testimony 
before  the  same  committee  has  not  one  word  favoring  the  de- 
claration of  General  Halleck — that  a  "  small  force  was  to  be 
sent  north  of  the  river  to  enable  General  Haupt  to  reopen  the 
railroad  and  re-build  the  bridges  "  while  the  army  was  to  cross 
by  the  upper  fords.  All  of  General  Haupt's  testimony  shows 
that  he  had  in  mind  the   necessity  of  making  provision  tor  the 

*Report  of  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  Part  I.,  pp.  675. 


1862.]  TOWARDS    FREDERICKSBURG.  187 

transportation  of  the  supplies  of  a  large  army  from  Aquia  Creek 
to  Fredericksburg   and  beyond.     He  declares,  moreover,  that 
:  "  on  Friday,  November  14,  General  Halleck  informed  him  that 
the  change  of  base  was  approved  by  the  President."* 

General  Halleck's  third  assertion  is  that  the  points  in  ques- 
tion were  held  in  force  by  the  enemy.  There  were  but  a  few 
pickets  at  Aquia  Creek,  and  those  ran  away  as  soon  as  some  of 
our  troops — a  small  part  of  the  engineer  brigade — landed 
there.  At  Fredericksburg  there  was  not  a  large  force.  Cap- 
tain Dahlgren  had  made  a  dash  into  that  place  with  a  few 
cavalrymen  not  long  before  the  army  moved,  and  General 
Sumner  testified,  that  he  thought  he  "  could  have  taken  Fred- 
ericksburg and  the  heights  on  the  other  side  of  it  any  time  with- 
in three  days  after  "  his  arrival,  if  the  pontons  had  been  at 
Falmouth,  for  he  did  "  not  think  there  was  much  force  of  the 
enemy  there  up  to  that  time."  A  remark  of  General  Halleck's, 
in  the  same  report,  respecting  an  expectation  of  General  Burn- 
side,  that  "  gunboats  were  to  cover  the  crossing  "  of  his  troops 
at  Falmouth  has  no  foundation  whatever.  Thus  General  Hal- 
leck stands  open  to  the  grave  charge  of  attempting,  in  an 
official  document,  to  mislead  the  public  mind. 

General  Burnside,  having  received  the  President's  assent  to 
his  plan,  and  trusting  that  General  Halleck  would  be  as  good 
as  his  word  in  forwarding  pontons  and  supplies,  proceeded  to 
put  his  designs  in  execution.  In  accordance  with  the  Presi- 
dent's suggestion,  he  determined  to  move  rapidly.  He  had 
organized  his  army  into  three  grand  divisions,  of  two  corps 
each,  the  right  under  General  Sumner,  the  centre  under  Gene- 
ral Hooker,  and  the  left  under  General  Franklin.  General 
Sumner's  command  started  at  daylight  on  the  loth  of  Novem- 
ber, and  the  remainder  of  the  army  on  the  16th.  The  Ninth 
Corps  made  demonstrations  towards  the  Rappahannock,  and 
the  cavalry  guarded  the  fords  as  the  army  passed.  General 
Sumner's  advance  reached   Falmouth  on  the   17th,   and    was 


a'-Ro]iort  of  Committee  on  Conduct  of  the  War,  Parti.,  p.  683. 


188  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Notembee, 

opened  upon  by  a  battery  of  artillery  posted  upon  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river.  One  of  our  own  batteries  was  brought  up 
and  soon  silenced  the  enemy,  who  fled,  leaving  four  guns  un- 
protected. General  Sumner  wished  to  cross,  but  as  his  orders 
were  simply  to  occupy  Falmouth  without  crossing,  and  as  the 
fords  in  the  neighborhood  were  impracticable,  he  halted  his 
troops  until  the  remainder  of  the  army  should  come  up.  Gen- 
eral Franklin  concentrated  his  command  at  and  near  Stafford 
Court  House.  General  Hooker  was  upon  the  road  for  three 
days,  reached  Hartwood  on  the  19th,  and  remained  there  over 
the  20th.  While  he  was  at  Hartwood  he  addressed  a  letter  to 
General  Burnside  suggesting  that  he  could  cross  his  grand 
division  at  one  of  the  fords  in  the  vicinity,  and  march  on  Sex- 
ton's Junction.  He  requested  permission  to  do  so,  alleging 
that  he  could  live  on  the  country  through  which  he  passed. 
General  Burnside  declined  allowing  this  march  to  be  made,  for 
the  reason  that  the  army  was  not  sufficiently  supplied  for  such 
a  detached  movement,  and  also  because  he  was  unwilling  that 
a  bodv  of  men,  not  over  twenty-five  thousand  in  number,  should 
march  out  upon  an  isolated  expedition  into  an  enemy's  country 
and  in  the  face  of  a  superior  hostile  force.  Such  a  movement, 
though  partaking  of  the  characteristic  daring  of  General  Hook- 
er, was  not  sufficiently  prudent  to  ensm-e  its  success. 

General  Burnside  left  YVarrenton  on  the  10th,  and  on  the 
19th  arrived  at  Falmouth.  To  his  great  surprise,  no  ponton 
train  was  there,  and  there  was  no  intelligence  of  any-  The 
movement  had  been  made  with  great  celerity  as  the  President 
had  suggested.  But  beyond  Falmouth  there  was  no  possibility 
of  an  advance.  A  wide  and  deep  river  lay  between  the  army 
and  the  coveted  heights  beyond  Fredericksburg.  There  were 
no  means  of  crossing.  Below  Falmouth  not  a  wheeled  vehicle 
could  cross  without  boats.  Above,  the  fords  were  impractica- 
ble without  pontons  except  for  a  few  cavalrymen  in  line,  or 
infantry  jumping  from  rock  to  rock.  Moreover,  rain  began  to 
fall,  the  river  commenced  rising,  supplies  were  short,  and  the 
roads   were  in  bad  condition.     The   enemy's  cavalry  had   fol- 


1862.]  TOWARDS   FREDERICKSBURG.  189 

lowed  the  army  occasionally  skirmishing  with  our  rear  guard. 
The  movement  had  been  developed,  but  it  had  failed.  It  had 
depended  for  success  upon  the  prompt  arrival  at  Falmouth  of 
the  ponton  train.  Without  that  nothing  could  be  done.  The 
fords  were  examined  and  pronounced  to  be  impassable.  Yet 
General  Burnside  hoped  to  "  cross  over  by  the  United  States 
Ford  some  cavalry  and  infantry  with  some  light  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery." No  enemy  had  yet  appeared  on  the  opposite  bank  in 
any  great  force,  and  the  expectation  of  moving  across  the  Rap- 
pahannock was  not  yet  wholly  dissipated.  But,  if  General 
Burnside  moved  now,  he  must  march  his  entire  army,  for 
General  Lee  was  also  moving.  Precious  time  was  passing. 
General  Lee  and  the  rebel  government  were  somewhat  puzzled 
to  understand  the  reason  of  the  sudden  disappearance  of  our 
army  from  Warranton,  and  its  as  sudden  reappearance  at  Fal- 
mouth was  still  more  inexplicable.  But  whatever  was  the 
motive,  it  was  General  Lee's  duty  to  meet  this  force  as  speedily 
as  possible  and  check  its  advance.  Accordingly  he  hurried 
across  the  country  and  occupied  the  heights  of  Fredericksburg. 
The  golden  opportunity  had  passed.  The  unguarded  avenue 
to  Richmond  was  barred.  The  gates  were  closed.  When  Gene- 
ral Burnside  woke  on  the  morning  of  the  22d,  and  looked  across 
the  river,  he  saw  the  enemy's  cannon  frowning  on  his  position 
and  the  enemy's  bayonets  gleaming  in  the  early  light. 


190  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Novembek, 


CHAPTEE    VI 


THE   PONTONS. 


THAT  General  Burnside's  subsequent  failure  at  Fredericks- 
burg was  due  to  the   non-arrival   of  the  ponton  train  at 
Falmouth,  in  season  to  oross  the   army  before  General  Lee  ap- 
peared, was  acknowledged  at  the  time  by  the  grand  division 
Commanders  and  has  since   become  painfully   apparent.     The 
responsibility  of  that   failure  must  therefore  rest,   to  a  certain 
extent  at  least,  on  the  person  or  persons  to  whom  the  moving  of 
the   train  had  been  committed.      Whatever  might   have   been 
General   Halleck's  intention,  he  certainly  gave  General  Burn- 
side   the  impression  that   he   would   do   all  that   he   could  to 
expedite  the  business  of  sending  forward  the  pontons  and  sup-, 
plies.      General  Meigs,  while  at  Warrenton,  wrote  an  order  for 
General  Woodbury,  the  engineer  officer  in  charge,  to  call  upon 
the  quartermaster  at  Washington  for  transportation  for  all  his 
pontons   and   bridge   material   to  Aquia   Creek.       This  order 
General   Halleck   signed   as    General  in  Chief.       Besides    this 
order,  General  Halleck  gave  assurance  to  General  Burnside  to 
believe,  that  he  would  give  his  personal  attention  to  the  matter 
immediately  upon  his  return  to  Washington.     General  Wood- 
bury on  the  12th  ordered  Captain  Spaulding,  in  charge  of  the 
pontons   at  Berlin,   to  take  up  his  bridges  and  transport  them 
to  Washington.     This  order  had  been   anticipated  by  General 
McClellan's   order  of  the   6th  to   his  engineer  officer   Captain 
Duane.     On  the  12th   this  order  was   received,  and   Captain 
Spaulding  was  directed  to  move  bridge  material  from  Berlin  to 
Washington,  and  to  fit  out  a  complete  bridge  train  "  on  wheels 
as  speedily  as  possible,  with  the  necessary  transportation,  and 


1862.]  THE    PONTONS.  191 

be  prepared  to  march  at  a  moment's  notice."  Captain  Spauld- 
ino-  immediately  attended  to  the  execution  of  this  order  by 
transporting  his  train  by  canal  to  Washington,  arriving  there 
himself  on  the  13th,  and  reporting  to  General  Wox>dbury  at 
midnight.  General  Woodbury  requested  him  to  call  at  nine 
o'clock  the  next  morning.  When  Captain  Spaulding  called  as 
appointed,  he  was  desired  to  wait  until  General  Woodbury  had 
seen  General  Halleck.  About  an  hour  after,  General  Wood- 
bury returned  from  his  interview  with  General  Halleck,  and 
directed  Captain  Spaulding  to  put  his  ponton  material  in 
depot  at  the  brigade  shops  near  the  Anacosti  river  as  fast  as 
it  arrived  from  Berlin,  and  to  go  into  camp  with  his  men. 
Captain  Spaulding  supposed  that  the  change  of  commanders 
had  produced  a  change  in  the  plan  of  operations,  and  that  the  > 
ponton  train  would  not  be  needed.  The  pontons  commenced 
arriving  at  Washington  on  the  14th,  and  had  all  arrived  soon 
after  noon  on  the  15th.  The  bridges  were  placed  in  depot 
and  th'e  men  in  camp.  On  the  morning  of  the  15th,  General 
Woodbury,  after  another  interview  with  General  Halleck,  re- 
peated the  order  to  put  the  train  in  depot  as  fast  as  it  arrived. 
Captain  Spaulding  casually  heard  of  a  despatch  from  Lieuten- 
ant Comstock,  General  Burnside's  chief  engineer,  to  General 
Woodbury,  inquiring  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  pontons. 
In  the  course  of  the  same  day,  Captain  Spaulding  was  directed 
to  make  up  "  two  trains  of  twenty-four  boats  each  in  rafts  to 
go  by  water,  a  train  of  twenty  boats  with  transportation  for 
forty  to  go  by  land,  to  draw  the  necessary  number  of  additional 
horses  and  harness  required  for  the  land  train,  to  prepare  it  as 
soon  as  possible  and  march  his  detachment  with  it#  to  Fred- 
ericksburg-."* 

Both  these  directions  were  carried  out  during  the  afternoon. 
The  two  trains  that  were  to  go  by  water  were  made  up,  towed 
below  the  bridge  over  the  Anacosti,  and  made  fast  to  the  steamer 
Hero,  that  was  to  tow  them  to  Belle  Plain.     The  steamer  was 

*Captain   SpauldiDg's  memorandum. 


192  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [November, 

delayed  by  fog,  and  did  not  start  as  soon  as  was  expected. 
When  fairly  On  her  voyage  she  ran  aground  on  some  shoal 
place  in  the  river,  and  after  considerable  delay,  arrived  at  Belle 
Plain  on  ihe  18th.  No  wagons  were  sent  with  the  boats  and 
bridges,*  as  no  intimation  was  given  to  Captain  Spaulding  that 
the  pontons  were  needed  for  immediate  use.  General  Wood- 
bury himself  had  received  no  such  intimation.  General  Hal- 
leck  had  evidently  treated  the  matter  as  not  of  pressing 
importance.  Had  anything  been  said  by  any  person  of  the 
immediate  need,  the  wagons  would  have  been  sent  with  the 
raft,  horses  could  have  been  procured  of  the  Quartermaster  at 
Belle  Plain,  and  the  pontons  could  easily  have  arrived  at  Fal- 
mouth by  the  night  of  the  18th. 

The  land  train  was  equally  unfortunate.  Captain  Spaulding 
drew  his  horses,  two  hundred  or  more,  and  had  them  in  camp 
on  the  16th.  The  harness  was  furnished  in  boxes,  and  had  to 
be  put  together  and  fitted  to  the  horses.  Many  of  the  animals 
had  apparently  never  been  in  harness  before,  and  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  find  leaders  that  could  be  guided  by  one  rein,  in  the 
ordinary  manner  of  horses  in  the  army  trains.  Besides  this  la- 
bor, drivers  were  to  be  procured,  rations  and  forage  drawn,  and 
the  boats  loaded  on  the  wagons.  It  was  not  till  the  afternoon 
of  the  19th,  that  Captain  Spaulding  fairly  got  off  upon  the 
road.  He  passed  through  Alexandria  that  night,  and  encamped 
outside  the  city.  Rain  commenced  falling  before  the  train  left 
Washington,  and  continued,  with  little  intermission,  for  the 
next  three  days.  The  roads  became  very  heavy  and  constantly 
grew  worse.     In  many  places,  the  wagons  could  only  be  moved 


*It  was  General  Meigs's  opinion  that  "  the  best  way  to  get  pontons  and  pon- 
ton trains  from  Washington  would  be  to  pack  the  flooring,  ropes,  anchors,  &c, 
of  the  bridges  in  the  ponton  boats  and  tow  them  down  the  river  by  steamer, 
while  the  wagons,  on  which  they  were  ordinarily  transported  when  moving  by 
land,  with  their  horses  and  harness,  should  march  under  guard  from  Alex- 
andria to  Aquia  ©reek,  there  to  take  up  the  ponton  trains.and  transport  them  to 
Falmouth  by  the  common  road.  By  this  means  the  wagons  would  go  light 
and  would  get  through  more  rapidly  and  with  less  wear  and  tear  to  the  horses." 
But  even  this  arrangement  was  not  made. 


1802.J  THE    PONTONS.  193 

by  the  greatest  exertions,  the  men  lifting  them  out  of  the  mire. 
But  slow  progress  was  made,  and  Captain  Spaulding,  finding 
that  it  was  useless  to  think  of  proceeding  in  this  way,  sent 
back  an  officer  to  Alexandria  on  the  22d,  with  a  request  to  the 
Quartermaster  at  that  post  to  send  a  steamer  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Occoquan,  to  take  the  bridge  and  rafts  to  Belle  Plain.  The 
steamer  was  sent  down  on  the  23d.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
22d,  Captain  Spaulding  marched  to  the  Occoquan,  built  a 
bridge  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  crossed  and  en- 
camped on  the  other  side.  Early  the  next  morning  the  bridge 
was  dismantled,  made  up  in  rafts,  all  the  bridge  material  loaded 
on  the  rafts,  and  the  animals  sent  forward  by  land.  The  wag- 
ons were  also  taken  apart  and  loaded  upon  the  rafts.  Descend- 
ing the  river,  the  rafts  grounded  upon  the  flats  near  the  mouth, 
and  could  not  be  floated  till  the  rise  of  the  tide  at  four  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  24th.  Captain  Spaulding  took  his  rafts 
out  to  the  steamer  in  waiting,  and  making  fast  to  her  the  train 
was  towed  to  Belle  Plain,  arriving  at  the  wharf  there  just  be- 
fore dark.  Quartermasters'  teams  were  there  procured  for 
him,  and  by  midnight  the  wagons  had  been  put  together  and 
the  boats  and  material  loaded.  At  four  o'clock  A.  M.,  on  the 
25th,  the  train  started  and  arrived  near  the  general  headquar- 
ters about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Captain  Spaulding's 
animals  had  gone  by  land,  and  on  the  24th  had  reached  Pal- 
mouth  in  safety.* 

By  this  extraordinary  series  of  misfortunes,  such  delays  in 
the  transportation  of  the  pontons  occurred  as  made  any  attempt 
abortive  to  cross  the  army  before  the  enemy  appeared  in  force. 
But  of  these  mischances  General  Burnside  knew  nothing.  He 
had  supposed  that  the  officials  at  Washington  were  as  desirous 
as  himself  of  forwarding  the  army  towards  its  destination.  He 
thought  that  they  were  as  fully  impressed  as  himself  with  the 
necessity  of  expedition.  General  Halleck  had  transmitted  the 
President's  suggestions  for  a  rapid  movement ;  but  he  had  ne- 


*Captain  Spaulding's  Memorandum. 
25 


194  ARMY    OF   THE    POTOMAC.  [Notember, 

glected  to  carry  out  the  promises  made  to  General  Burnside, 
to  send  on  the  pontons  without  delay.  Even  if  he  had  believed 
that  General  Burnside  was  to  take  his  army  down  the  south 
bank  of  the  Rappahannock,  he  must  also  have  known  that  the 
army  needed  supplies,  and  that  the  supplies  could  not  reach 
beyond  Falmouth  without  the  means  of  crossing  the  river.  In 
any  view  of  the  case,  the  pontons  were  sorely  needed  at  Fal- 
mouth. General  Halleck  must  certainly  have  known  the  fact 
of  that  necessity.  Yet  he  neglected  to  furnish  the  very  ma- 
terial which  he  was  expected,  and  which — according  to  Gen- 
eral Burnside's  conviction — he  had  promised  to  provide. 

General  Woodbury's  account  of  the  affair  places  the  conduct 
of  the  General  in  Chief  in  no  more  favorable  liffht.  In  the  in- 
terviews  which  he  had  with  General  Halleck,  he  was  not  in- 
formed "  that  the  success  of  any  important  movement  depend- 
ed, in  the  slightest  degree,  upon  a  ponton  train  to  leave 
Washington  by  land."  General  Burnside,  supposing  of  course, 
that  General  Halleck  would  inform  General  Woodbury  of  the 
necessity  of  despatch,  did  not  think  it  requisite  to  hasten  the 
preparations  of  an  officer  who  was  known  to  be  faithful  and 
energetic  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  He  did,  however, 
through  Lieutenant  Comstock,  inform  General  Woodbury  on 
the  14th,  that  he  desired  "  to  have  one  more  complete  train 
mounted  and  horses  as  soon  as  possible,  and  with  the  other, 
sent  with  a  company,  at  least,  and  Captain  Spaulding  in  opm- 
mand,  by  land  to  Fredericksburg."  General  Woodbury  de- 
clares that  this  was  the  only  order  that  he  had  received  in  re- 
lation to  transportation  by  land.  It  seems,  that  soon  after  the 
reception  of  this  order,  he  saw  General  Halleck  and  found  him 
averse  to  sending  more  than  one  train  by  land.  That  train,  as 
General  Woodbury  telegraphs,  could  "  be  got  ready  to  start 
Sunday  or  Monday  morning."  But  on  Monday,  the  17th,  it 
was  found  that  Captain  Spaulding  had  more  work  to  do  than 
was  supposed,  and  General  Woodbury  telegraphed  that  the 
train  would  probably  start  the  next  morning.  On  the  next 
day,  the  story  was  the  same,  and  Captain* Spaulding  could  not 


18G2.J  THE   PONTONS.  195 

start  till  the  afternoon  of  the  19th.     In  the  meantime,  the  pon- 
tons that  were  to  go  by  water  had  been  despatched. 

At  the  outset  of  the  expedition,  moreover,  General  Wood- 
bury had  requested  General  Halleck  to  delay  the  army  for  a 
few  days.  "  General  Halleck's  order  to  me,  of  the  13th,"  says 
General  Woodbury,  "  made  it  apparent  that  the  army  was 
preparing  to  march  to  Fredericksburg.  As  to  the  time  when 
the  movement  would  be  made,  I  never  received  any  informa- 
tion. Fearing,  however,  that  the  movement  would  be  precipi- 
tate, I  went  to  General  Halleck's  office  and  urged  him  to  delay 
the  movement  some  five  days,  in  order  that  the  necessary 
preparations  might  be  made  to  insure  its  success.  To  this  he 
replied,  that  he  would  do  nothing  to  delay  for  an  instant  the 
advance  of  the  army  upon  Richmond.  I  rejoined  that  my  sug- 
gestion was  not  intended  to  cause  delay,  but  rather  to  prevent 
it.  Had  the  emergency  been  made  known  to  me  in  any  man- 
ner," he  adds,  "  I  could  have  disregarded  the  forms  of  service 
— seized  teams,  teamsters  and  wagonmasters  for  instant  service 
wherever  I  could  find  them.  Then,  with  good  roads  and  good 
weather,  they  might  possibly  have  been  in  time.  But  I  had  no 
warrant  for  such  a  course,  which,  after  all,  could  only  have  been 
carried  out  by  the  authority  of  the  General-in-Chief."*  That 
General  Halleck  understood  the  exigency  and  the  absolute 
need  of  celerity  in  sending  off  and  transporting  the  pontons,  is 
simply  to  claim  for  him  the  possession  of  ordinary  intelligence  and 
powers  of  observation.  But  with  this  knowledge,  he  neglected 
to  inform  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  operations  that  any  emer- 
gency existed,  and  when  he  ascertained  that  it  was  almost  im- 
possible, without  some  special  order,  to  get  the  ponton  train  off 
in  time,  he  neglected  to  use  the  means  which  he  held  in  his 
own  hands  for  its  despatch.  When  appealed  to  by  General 
Woodbury  to  delay  the  movement  of  the  army — which  he 
could  do  by  a  single  word — until  the  ponton  train  was  ready, 
he  utterly  refused.     It  certainly  was  unfortunate  that  wagons 


*  lleport  of  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  I.,  005. 


196  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [November, 

were  not  sent  with  the  train  which  went  by  water.  That  was 
a  lamentable  oversight  on  the  part  of  General  Woodbury.  But 
the  omission  was  doubtless  caused  by  the  ignorance  of  Gen- 
eral Woodbury  that  any  special  need  for  haste  existed,  and  by 
his  supposition  that  the  wagons  would  go  by  land,  and  would 
reach  headquarters  in  ample  season  for  the  operations  that 
were  contemplated.  General  Halleck  could  have  enlightened 
his  subordinate,  but  did  not  choose  so  to  do.  From  a  careful 
review  of  all  the  facts,  no  other  conclusion  can  be  reached  th-  n 
that  the  failure  of  the  pontons,  and  consequently  the  failure  of 
General  Burnside's  plan  of  advance,  must  be  laid  to  the  negli- 
gence of  the  General  in  Chief  in  discharging  the  trust  reposed 
in  him. 

General  Hooker  is  disposed  to  divide  the  responsibility  be- 
tween the  General  in  Chief  and  the  Quartermaster  General. 
He  said,  in  his  testimony  before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct 
of  the  War,*  that  he  "  heard  General  Meigs  or  General  Hal- 
leck assure  General  Burnside  that  they  (the  pontons)  would 
be  here  (at  Falmouth)  in  three  clays."  In  answer  to  the 
question,  "  As  the  matter  was  left  at  the  time  of  the  conversa- 
tion, did  you  understand  that  the  responsibility  of  having  the 
pontons  and  supplies  here  rested  upon  General  Burnside,  or 
upon  General  Halleck  and  General  Meigs  ?"  General  Hooker 
replied,  "  I  think  it  necessai'ily  rested  upon  General  Halleck 
and  General  Meigs,  because  it  was  beyond  the  control  of  Gen- 
eral Burnside,  who  was  not  where  he  could  control  it."  Gen- 
eral Sumner  was  positive,  that  if  he  had  had  the  pontons  within 
three  days  of  his  arrival  at  Falmouth,  he  could  have  occupied 
the  heights  in  rear  of  Fredericksburg  without  material  opposi- 
tion. General  Franklin  wished  "  to  impress  as  firmly  upon  the 
committee  as  it"  was  impressed  upon  his  own  "  mind,  the  fact 
that  the  whole  disaster  had  resulted  from  the  delay  in  the 
arrival  of  the  ponton  bridges.  Whoever  is  responsible  for  that 
delay  is  responsible  for  all  the  disasters  which  have  followed."! 

*  Part  I.,  671.     t  Report  of  Committee,  I.,  602. 


1862.J  THE   PONTONS.  197 

Perhaps  it  would  have  been  better,  if  General  Burnside  had 
sent  an  aide  or  some  trustworthy  staff  officer  to  Washington, 
especially  upon  the  errand  of  despatching  the  pontons.  It  cer- 
tainly would  have  been  better,  if  he  had  held  his  army  at  War- 
renton  until  he  had  received  positive  assurances,  that  the  pon- 
tons had  started  and  were  well  on  the  way  under  sufficient 
guard.  But  he  trusted  in  General  Halleck's  promises  and  in 
General  Woodbury's  despatches.  Between  the  two  the  move- 
ment failed,  and  General  Burnside  paid  dearly  for  his  mis- 
placed confidence. 

On  the  22d  of  November,  while  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
pontons,  General  Burnside  addressed  the  following  letter  to 
General  Cullum : 

"  By  reference  to  my  plan,  of  operations,  submittted  by  or- 
der of  the  General  in  Chief,  it  will  be  found  that  one  of  the 
necessary  parts  of  that  plan  was  to  have  started  from  Wash- 
ington at  once  ponton  trains  sufficient  to  span  the  Rappahan- 
nock at  Fredericksburg  twice,  and  I  was  assured  that  at  least 
one  train  would  leave  as  soon  as  the  General-in-Chief  and 
General  Meigs  returned,  and  I  proposed  'that,  if  an  escort  was 
required  and  I  was  informed  of  the  departure  of  the  train  by 
telegraph,  I  would  furnish  it  from  my  cavalry.  Receiving  no 
information  of  its  departure,  I  ordered  Lieutenant  Comstock  to 
telegraph  in  reference  to  it. 

"  It  is  very  clear  that  my  object  was  to  make  the  move  to 
Fredericksburg  very  rapidly,  and  to  throw  a  heavy  force  across 
the  river  before  the  enemy  could  concentrate  a  force  to  oppose 
the  crossing,  and  I  supposed  the  ponton  train  would  arrive  at 
this  place  nearly  simultaneously  with  the  head  of  the  column. 
Had  that  been  the  case,  the  whole  of  General  Sumner's  column, 
of  thirty-three  thousand  strong,  would  have  crossed  into  Fred- 
ericksburg at  once  over  a  ponton  bridge  in  front  of  a  city  filled 
with  families  of  rebel  officers  and  sympathizers  with  the  rebel 
cause,  and  garrisoned  by  a  small  squadron  of  cavalry  and  a 
battery  of  artillery,  which  General  Sumner  silenced  within  an 
hour  after  his  arrival.     Had  the  ponton  bridge  arrived,,  even 


198  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [November, 

on  the  19th  or  20th,  the  army  would  have  crossed  with  trifling 
opposition,  but  now  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is  occupied 
by  a  large  rebel  force  under  General  Longstreet,  with  batteries 
ready  to  be  placed  in  position  to  operate  against  the  working 
parties  building  the  bridge  and  the  troops  in  crossing. 

"  The  ponton  train  has  not  yet  arrived,  and  the  river  is  too 
high  for  the  troops  to  cross  at  any  of  the  fords. 

"  You  can  readily  see  that  much  delay  may  occur  in  the 
general  movement,  and  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  lay  these  facts 
before  you,  and  to  say  that  I  cannot  make  the  promise  of  prob- 
able success  with  the  faith  that  I  did,  when  I  supposed  that  all 
the  parts  of  the  plan  would  be  carried  out. 

"  Another  very  material  part  of  the  proposition,  which  I 
understood  to  be  approved  as  a  whole,  was  that  all  the  surplus 
wagons  that  were  in  Washington  were  to  be  loaded  with  bread 
and  small  commissary  stores,  and  sent  to  this  place  at  once, 
which  would  probably  have  supplied  our  army  with  from  five 
to  ten  days'  provisions.  These  trains  could  have  moved  with 
perfect  safety,  as  they  would  have  been  protected  by  the  move- 
ments of  this  army. 

"  I  do  not  recall  these  facts  in  any  captious  spirit,  but  sim- 
ply to  impress  upon  the  General  in  Chief,  that  he  cannot  ex- 
pect me  to  do  as  much  as  if  all  the  parts  of  the  plan  had  been 
carried  out.  In  fact,  a  force  can  be  arrayed  against  us  at  this 
place  that  would  very  materially  retard  us. 

"  The  work  of  the  Quartermaster  and  Commissary  Depart- 
ments at  Aquia  Creek  and  Belle  Plain  has  been  most  com- 
pletely accomplished,  and  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that  every 
effort  has  not  been  made  to  carry  out  the  other  parts  of  the 
plan,  but  I  must  in  honesty  and  candor  say,  that  I  cannot  feel 
that  the  move  indicated  in  my  plan  of  operations  will  be  suc- 
cessful, after  two  very  important  parts  of  the  plan  have  not 
been  carried  out, — no  matter  for  what  reason. 

"  The  President  said  that  the  movement,  in  order  to  be  suc- 
ful,  must  be  made  quickly,  and  I  thought  the  same." 

General  Halleck  replied  on  the  2od,  by  telegraph  : 


1862.]  THE   PONTONS.  199 

"  Washington,  12.20  P.  M.,  Xov.  23d,  1862. 
"  Major  General  Burnside  : 

"  You  are  aware  that  I  telegraphed  from  your  quarters  in 
Warrenton  to  General  Woodbury  to  send  the  ponton  trains  to 
Aquia  Creek.  Immediately  on  my  return  I  saw  him  myself 
to  urge  them  forward.  He  left  for  Aquia  Creek  with  his 
brigade  to  report  to  you.  He  is  there,  under  your  command. 
If  there  has  been  any  unnecessary  delay,  call  him  to  an  ac- 
count. There  has  been  no  delay  at  these  Headquarters  in  or- 
dering him  as  you  requested. 

"  H.  W   Halleck,  General-in-Chief." 

In  the  above  correspondence,  it  is  taken  for  granted  by  both 
that  the  main  body  of  the  army  is  at  Falmouth.*  General 
Halleck  expresses  no  surprise  that  such  is  the  fact.  He  has  no 
word  of  censure  for  a  movement  which  he  afterwards  charac- 
terized as  made  without  authority.  So  far  as  appears  in  subse- 
quent correspondence,  General  Halleck  did  not  discover  that 
General  Burnside  had  moved  the  main  body  of  his  army  in  a 
different  direction  from  what  was  intended  and  agreed  upon  at 
Warrenton,  until  after  six  weeks  had  passed,  a  great  battle  had 
been  lost,  and  the  General  in  Chief  was  sufferino-  therefor  in 
the  public  estimation. 

*In  regard  to  this  subject  the  question  would  naturally  arise:  suppose,  that 
General  Burnside  had  taken  the  main  body  of  his  army  across  the  upper  Rap- 
pahannock and  brought  it  down  to  Fredericksburg,  how  would  it  have  been 
supplied?  One  hundred  thousand  men  with  animals  would  have  to  be  fed,  yet 
General  Halleck  would  have  put  them  in  a  position,  between  which  and  their 
depot  of  supplies  a  deep  river  would  flow  with  no  means  of  crossing. 


200  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [  November, 


CHAPTEE    VII 


AT    FALMOUTH. 


THE  question  with  General  Burnside  now  was  :  "  Shall 
I  put  my  army  into  winter  quarters,  or  shall  I,  with 
the  means  at  my  disposal,  press  the  enemy,  as  the  country  ex- 
pects, the  President  and  General  in  Chief  advise,  and  my  own 
sense  of  duty  enjoins  upon  me  to  do  ?"  The  decision  to  which 
he  came  was  this  :  "  I  did  not  take  command  of  this  army 
simply  to  idle  away  another  winter,  but  to  do  what  I  could  to 
end  the  rebellion.  The  strength  of  this  treasonable  movement 
lies  in  the  rebel  army  upon  the  other  side  of  the  Rappahannock. 
I  must  at  least  try  .to  break  it.  If  I  fail,  it  will  not  be  for  the 
want  of  a  vigorous  effort.  If  I  succeed,  the  only  reward  I  ask 
is  the  consciousness  of  having  performed  my  duty."  He  was 
now  convinced  that  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  the  army 
of  Northern  Virginia  must  again  enter  into  conflict.  The  in- 
dolence of  winter  quarters  was  as  distasteful  to  him  as  to  the 
public.  He  determined  to  fight,  not  for  the  sake  of  winning 
glory  if  victorious,  but  because  he  felt  that  his  duty  to  the 
cause  and  to  the  country  demanded  it.  He  immediately  set 
about  his  preparations.  In  the  course  of  the  next  three  weeks, 
he  had  made  himself  and  his  command  ready  to  deliver  battle. 
Where  and  how  ?  It  was  clear  that  General  Lee  had  no 
intention  of  assuming  the  offensive.  He  had  been  badly  shat- 
tered by  the  unsuccessful  invasion  of  Maryland  and  the  battle 
of  Antietam.  He  wished  to  recuperate  his  forces  by  giving 
them  a  winter's  rest  along  the  Rappahannock,  and,  for  conve- 
nience of  subsistence  and  supplies,  on  the  line  of  the  railroad 
between  Fredericksburg  and  Richmond.     He  therefore  brought 


1862.]  AT   FALMOUTH.  201 

down  his  army  from  the  upper  waters  and  the  mountains  to 
the  heights  behind  Fredericksburg,  and  occupied  the  country 
in  the  rear  and  below,  reaching  as  far  as  Bowling  Green  in 
one  direction  and  Port  Royal  in  the  other.  The  hills  behind 
Fredericksburg  were  immediately  selected  as  sites  for  defensive 
lines  and  were  soon  covered  with  earthworks,  large  and  small 
redoubts.  Rude  works  were  also  thrown  up  opposite  the  fords. 
The  south  bank  of  the  river  was  picketed  for  a  distance  of 
fifteen  and  twenty  miles.  Guinney's  station  became  the  chief 
depot  of  supplies,  and  General  Lee  established  his  headquar- 
ters at  Alsop's,  about  five  miles  distant  from  the  river.  The 
rebel  army  was  preparing  for  a  desperate  resistance  against 
any  attempt  to  dislodge  it  from  its  position,  or  seize  the  road  to 
Richmond. 

General  Lee  had  well  chosen  his  position  for  defence.     The 
country  in  the  rear  of  the  Rappahannock  was  admirably  calcu- 
lated for  that  kind  of  warfare,  in  which  the  enemy  was  most 
proficient.     Like  the  banks  of  most  American  rivers,  the  land 
on  either  side  rose  in  successive  natural  terraces,  cut  here  and 
there  by  little  streams  making  their  way  to  the  main  channel. 
On  the  first  of  these,  immediately  upon   the  bank,  but  suffici- 
ently high  above  the  river  level  to  escape  the  inundations  of 
the  spring  freshets,  lies  the  chief  part  of  the  city  of  Fredericks- 
burg, regularly  laid  out,  with  the  streets  crossing  each  other  at 
right  angles.     The  plain  which  it  occupies  is  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  in  length  by  a  half  mile  in  width.     Two  bridges  once 
spanned  the  river,  one  belonging  to  the  Richmond,  Fredericks- 
burg and  Potomac  Railroad  Company,  the  other  the  continua- 
tion of  the  county  road.     The  railroad  bridge  was  a  half  mile 
below  the  public  bridge.     Both  had  been  destroyed  in  the 
course  of  the  war.     The  railroad,  after  crossing  the  river  and 
passing  through  the  town,  follows  down  the  bank  for  a  distance 
of  about   three    miles,    and    then    turns    southward    towards 
Richmond.     From  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  a  road  runs 
out   towards   Port    Royal.      About   two    miles    below   Deep 
Run,  another  road  strikes  off*  from  this  to  the  right,  crosses  the 

26 


202  ARMY    OP   THE   POTOMAC.  [Novembek, 

railroad  and  the  Massaponax  Creek,  and  thence  makes  connec- 
tion with  a  road  leading  to  Richmond.  It  has  thus  received 
the  name  of  the  "  old  Richmond  road."  In  the  neighborhood 
of  a  point  about  two  miles  from  the  river,  where  this  road 
crosses  the  railroad,  'and  near  the  edge  of  the  hills,  is  Captain 
Hamilton's  estate,  and  the  place  is  known  as  Hamilton's  cross- 
ing. The  county  road,  after  crossing  the  river,  is  continued 
through  the  town  under  the  name  of  Hanover  Street,  becomes 
a  plank  road,  which  climbs  the  hills,  and,  turning  to  the 
West,  extends  through  Chancellorsville  to  Orange  Court 
House. 

Half  a  mile  beyond  the  town,  after  ascending  the  gentle 
acclivity,  a  road  diverges  to  the  left  turning  southward  and 
gradually  reaching  up  the  slope  to  the  second  terrace.  A  gen- 
tleman's house  and  grounds,  comprising  a  very- handsome 
estate,  stand  above  this  road  near  the  northern  extremity  of  the 
first  fortified  line  of  hills.  This  is  "  Marye's."  These  grounds 
are  supported,  where  they  come  down  to  the  road  before  spoken 
of,  by  a  heavy  bank-wall  of  stone.  On  the  side  of  the  road 
opposite  the  same  and  towards  the  town,  is  a  similar  wall  in 
length  nearly  half  a  mile.  This  road,  after  leaving  the  plank 
road,  winds  along  the  edge  of  the  second  terrace  with  a  gradual 
ascent,  then  crossing  a  small  stream  called  Hazel  Run,  climbs 
the  third  terrace  and  extends  into  the  country  beyond,  in  a 
southerly  or  southwesterly  direction.  It  is  called  the  tele- 
graph road.  The  lawn  in  front  of  the  Marye  mansion  was 
crossed  by  a  line  of  rifle  pits,  and  in  the  southerly  portion  of  the 
grounds  was  thrown  up  a  small  redoubt.  Other  rifle  pits  and 
small  earth  works  were  raised  on  the  northerly  and  westerly 
side  of  the  plank  road. 

Southeasterly  from  the  telegraph  road  nearly  parallel  with 
the  river  and  about  two  miles  distant  from  it  rises  the  second 
terrace.  This  is  cut  by  Deep  Run,  which,  after  reaching  the 
plain,  makes  a  long  curve  towards  the  town  and  flows  into  the 
Rappahannock  a  mile  below  Hazel  Run.  One  mile  and  a  half 
below  Deep  Run,  the  Massaponax   cuts  the    terrace,  makes  a 


1862.]  AT   FALMOUTH.  203 

long  curve  in  the  opposite  direction — thus  producing  between 
the  two  streams  a  large  and  nearly  level  ellipse — and  flows  into 
the  Rappahannock  four  miles  below.  The  plain  which  is 
formed  by  the  first  terrace  is  about  six  miles  in  length  from  the 
upper  part  of  the  town  to  the  Massaponax  and  varies  in  breadth 
from  one  to  two  miles.  It  slopes  nearly  up  to  the  edge  of  the 
second  terrace  with  almost  the  gentle  incline  of  the  glacis  of  a 
fortress,  except  that  it  is  broken  here  and  there  by  low  ridges, 
shallow  ravines  and  garden  fences.  The  part  of  the  plain 
above  Fredericksburg  is  cut  by  a  canal,  which  runs  from  the 
dam  at  Falmouth  to  a  point  within  the  upper  portion  of 
the  town.  A  few  houses  are  scattered  over  the  plain.  The 
second  terrace  was  crowned  with  earth  works  and  rifle  pits, 
which  were  armed  with  field  artillery  and  a  few  heavy  guns. 
The  natural  position  was  very  strong  and  could  be  defended  by 
a  resolute  force  against  double  its  number.  Beyond  the  second 
terrace  rose  a  third  of  a  character  similar  to  the  other  but  of 
much  smaller  dimensions.  The  third  crest  was  fortified  to 
some  extent  but  by  no  means  so  strongly  as  the  second.  Upon 
the  two  lines  of  defence  there  were  twelve  or  fifteen  large  and 
small  works,  lunettes  and  redoubts.  These  were  of  hasty  con- 
struction but  of  sufficient  strength  to  give  great  confidence  to 
troops  stationed  behind  them.  In  the  rear  of  the  first  line  of 
works,  from  the  old  Richmond  road  to  the  telegraph  road,  the 
enemy  had  cut  another  road,  beginning  near  Hamilton's  cross- 
ing, connecting  his  right  with  his  left  and  affording  easy  com- 
munication between  the  two  wings. 

Above  Fredericksburg  the  range  of  hills  which  General  Lee 
had  fortified  subsides  as  it  approaches  the  river,  and  four  or 
five  miles  further  up  the  country  becomes  less  broken.  But 
beyond  that  is  an  extensive  tract  of  forest  land — the  Wilder- 
ness. Into  this  country  a  way  is  opened  by  means  of  two 
fords,  Banks',  about  five  miles,  and  United  States  ford,  about 
ten  miles  distant  from  Fredericksburg.  A  mile  above  the  latter 
ford  the  Rapidan  empties  into  the  Rappahannock.  A  mile  be- 
yond this  debouche  is  Richards'  ford  crossing  the  Rappahan- 


204  AEMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [November, 

nock,  and  four  miles  above,  crossing  the  Kapidan,  is  Ely's  ford. 
The  road  from  Richards'  to  Ely's  ford  may  be  taken  as  the  base 
of  a  triangle,  the  two  sides  of  which  are  formed  by  the  two 
rivers.  These  fords  were  strongly  guarded  by  the  enemy. 
Twelve  miles  above  Richards',  and  twenty-four  miles  from 
Fredericksburg  is  Kelly's  ford  across  the  Rappahannock,  and 
four  miles  above  Ely's  across  the  Rapidan  at  Germania  mills  is 
still  another  good  ford.  But  these  two  latter  points  were  con- 
sidered by  General  Burnside  as  too  far  from  Falmouth  to  make 
a  successful  demonstration  against  the  enemy's  line  in  that 
direction.  Moreover,  none  of  these  fords  were  at  that  time 
practicable  for  crossing  a  large  force  without  pontons. 

Below  Fredericksburg  the  Rappahannock  gradually  widens 
and  the  country  on  the  right  bank  is  comparatively  open.  But 
the  river  deepens  as  it  widens,  and  is  indeed  navigable  for 
steamers  and  other  vessels  of  light  draught  within  a  mile  or 
two  of  Fredericksburg.  A  crossing  at  any  point  below  Fal- 
mouth must  be  made  by  means  of  pontons.  Just  above  Fal- 
mouth, a  dam  is  built  across  the  river  at  the  head  of  tide-water, 
and  immediately  below  the  dam  the  deep  water  commences. 
Eighteen  miles  below  Fredericksburg  are  two  towns,  Port 
Royal  on  the  right  and  Port  Conway  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river.  A  few  miles  above  Port  Royal  the  river  makes  a  de- 
cided bend  to  the  north  and  east,  then  turning  south  again, 
forms  a  peninsula  bearing  the  name  of  Skinker's  Neck.  The 
gunboats  of  the  Potomac  flotilla  could  easily  reach  that  point. 
Thence  to  Bowling  Green,  fifteen  miles  distant,  is  a  good  road. 
If  a  successful  crossing  could  be  made  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Port  Royal,  the  rear  of  the  rebel  line  would  be  threatened 
and  the  works  at  Fredericksburg  would  be  almost  valueless. 
Here  then  was  an  important  point.  General  Burnside  turned 
his  attention  to  it  and  gave  it  a  careful  examination.  Com- 
pared with  the  other  points  which  were  considered,  it  seemed 
as  though  Skinker's  Neck  or  Port  Royal  would  he  a  better 
point  for  turning  the  enemy's  position  than  any  point  above. 
General   Burnside  thought  that  a  crossing  at  Skinker's  Neck 


1862.]  AT    FALMOUTH.  205 

might  be  made,  and  accordingly  decided  so  to  dispose  his  forces 
as  to  seize  Port  Koyal,  if  possible,  with  the  purpose  of  turning 
the  enemy's  right  without  hazarding  his  own  communications. 
General  Franklin,  who  had  been  stationed  at  Stafford  Court 
House,  was  ordered  to  move  his  command  down  the  riyer  with- 
in convenient  distance  of  Port  Conway.  A  portion  of  the 
Potomac  flotilla  under  command  of  Lieutenant  Edward  P. 
McCrea  proceeded  up  the  Rappahannock  and  took  a  position 
in  the  river  between  Liberty  Hill  and  Port  Royal.  On  the  1st 
of  December,  our  lines  extended  from  King  George  Court 
House  to  Stafford  Court  House,  thence  with  guards  upon  the 
road  to  Alexandria.  General  Sigel  with  one  corps  was  at 
Fairfax  Court  House  and  vicinity.  General  Slocum  was  in 
command  at  Harper's  Ferry  ;  General  Morell  commanded  the 
defences  of  the  Upper  Potomac. 

Upon  this  side  of  the  Rappahannock  the  topographical  fea- 
tures of  the  country  differ  but  little  from  those  upon  the  south 
bank.  Opposite  the  plain  upon  which  lies  the  city  of  Fred- 
ericksburg is  another  plain,  very  similar  to  the  first  though 
somewhat  more  limited  in  extent.  From  the  river  bank  ex- 
tends the  first  terrace,  crescent-shaped  and  sloping  gently  up- 
wards to  the  crest  of  the  second  plateau.  This  plateau  com- 
mences at  Falmouth  a  short  distance  from  the  bank,  and  sweeps 
around  in  an  elliptical  curve,  broken  about  the  centre  by  the 
railroad  that  runs  up  from  Aquia  Creek,  and  striking  the  river 
bank  again  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  Deep  Run,  two  and  a 
half  or  three  miles  below  Falmouth.  Upon  the  two  extremi- 
ties of  the  curved  line  were  established  batteries — that  at  Fal- 
mouth known  as  Pettit's,  that  below  as  Tyler's.  About  mid- 
way between  them  upon  the  lower  terrace,  somewhat  nearer  to 
Falmouth  than  to  Tyler's  and  not  far  from  the  river,  stood  the 
Lacy  House,  an  old  mansion  surrounded  by  all  the  appur- 
tenances of  a  wealthy  Virginia  planter.  At  a  point  about  two 
thirds  of  the  distance  below  Falmouth  upon  the  edge  of  the 
upper  plateau  stood  the  Phillips  House,  a  beautiful  and  costly 
mansion  elaborately   decorated   and  richly  furnished.     It  was 


206  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Novembee, 

distant  from  the  river  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile.  It  was 
occupied  for  the  permanent  headquarters  of  General  Sumner, 
and  became  the  headquarters  of  General  Burnside  on  the  day 
of  the  battle.  It  commanded  an  entirely  unobstructed  view  of 
the  town  of  Fredericksburg  and  all  its  environs,  and  it  domi- 
nated the  first  and  second  terraces  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  This  point  was  also  the  central  signal  station  of  the 
army  during  its  encampment  in  the  vicinity. 

In  times  of  peace  the  prospect  from  the  Phillips  mansion 
must  have  been  remarkably  charming  and  delightful.  The 
green  slopes,  the  fields  of  yellow  grain,  the  distant  hills,  the 
rich  forests  and  the  widening  river  must  have  presented  a  land- 
scape of  rare  beauty.  The  two  houses  were  doubtless  the 
abodes  of  generous  hospitality.  The  rooms  were  filled  with 
smiling  faces  and  graceful  forms  and  the  roofs  rang  with  merry 
laughter.  But  all  this  was  now  changed.  The  smiling  land- 
scape had  become  a  waste,  desolated  by  the  ravages  of  war. 
The  turf  was  trampled  by  the  careless  feet  of  man  and  beast, 
the  lawns  and  hillsides  were  broken  by  rifle  pits  and  redoubts, 
the  forests  were  fast  losing  their  pride  and  glory,  the  fields  were 
bare.  The  mansions,  occupied  only  in  part  or  wholly  aban- 
doned by  their  owners,  were  converted  into  officers'  quarters, 
in  which  the  refinements  of  life  were  hardly  expected  to  have  a 
prominent  place.  The  cruel  hand  of  war  was  reaping  an 
abundant  harvest  of  devastation,  destruction  and  death. 

Beyond  the  second  terrace  the  land  stretched  back  to  Aquia 
Creek  in  an  undulating  plain  broken  by  occasional  hills,  some 
of  which  were  heavily  wooded,  and  produced  an  agreeable 
diversity  in  the  landscape.  This  plain  was  divided  into  two 
nearly  equal  parts  by  Potomac  Creek,  which,  flowing  through 
a  deep  ravine,  emptied  into  the  Potomac  at  Belle  Plain.  This 
creek  was  spanned  by  a  bridge,  that  for  strength,  rapidity  in  its 
construction,  and  its  adaptability  to  the  uses  for  which  it  was 
built  was  a  miracle  of  engineering.  The  first  bridge  built  by 
the  Government  during  the  war  was  constructed  in  May,  1862, 
while  General    McDowell  occupied  Fredericksburg.     It   was 


1862.]  AT   FALMOUTH.  207 

composed  chiefly  of  round  logs,  and  the  legs  of  the  trestles 
were  braced  with  round  poles.  It  was  in  four  stories,  three  of 
trestle  and  one  of  crib-work.  Its  total  height  from  the  bed  of 
the  stream  to  the  rail  was  nearly  eighty  feet.  Its  length  was 
about  four  hundred  feet.  It  bore  daily  from  ten  to  twenty 
trains  loaded  with  supplies,  and  successfully  withstood  several 
freshets.  It  contained  more  than  two  million  feet  of  lumber 
and  was  constructed  in  nine  days  by  the  soldiers  under  the 
superintendence  of  General  Herman  Haupt,  chief  of  railroad 
construction  and  transportation.  This  bridge  was  destroyed 
or  dismantled  upon  the  evacuation  of  this  section  by  General 
Burnside  in  August,  1862.  It  was  again  built  substantially  in 
the  same  manner,  and  after  the  same  plan,  in  six  days  after 
General  Haupt  for  the  second  time  commenced  work  upon  it, 
on  the  18th  of  November. 

The  month  of  November  had  passed  in  cold  and  storm.  De- 
cember at  its  first  coming;  had  brought  no  more  genial  weather. 
Ice  began  to  appear  in  the  Potomac,  in  Aquia  Creek  and  in 
the  Rappahannock.  Affairs  began  to  look  doubtful  for  any 
movement  for  several  months  to  come.  The  gunboats  in  the 
Rappahannock  were  even  in  danger  of  being  caught  and  frozen 
up.  Still  General  Burnside  continued  his  preparations,  care- 
fully keeping  his  secret,  and  looking  forward  hopefully  to  the 
future.  As  December  went  on,  the  weather  moderated.  The 
ice  disappeared.  More  genial  suns  shone  down  upon  the  hos- 
tile camps.  An  Indian  Summer  took  the  place  of  Winter,  and 
it  seemed  as  though  October  had  returned.  With  the  advent 
of  a  milder  temperature  fogs  began  to  prevail.  They  crept  up 
the  river  in  the  afternoon  and  retired  most  reluctantly  before 
the  morning's  sun.  This  circumstance  was  both  favorable  and 
unfavorable.  For  while  it  concealed -our  movements  from  the 
enemy,  it  also  threatened  to  become  the  occasion  of  considerable 
confusion  among  our  own  troops  when  they  should  be  brought 
into  action.  Through  all,  General  Burnside  ventured  to  hope 
for  success  in  the  conflict  which  he  was  determined  to  hazard. 
Earnest  himself  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  and  trustful  of  his 


208  ARMY    OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [December, 

subordinates  even  to  a  fault,  lie  believed  that  all  around  him 
were  devoted  with  equal  earnestness  to  the  cause  which  claimed 
their  fidelity,  and  relied  upon  their  zealous  cooperation  in  the 
contemplated  strife. 

To  replace  the  command  of  General  Franklin  at  Stafford 
Court  House  and  vicinity,  General  Sigel  was  ordered  down 
from  Fairfax  Court  House.  To  occupy  General  Sigel's  vacated 
position,  General  Slocum  was  ordered  from  Harper's  Ferry, 
of  which  General  Morell  took  charge.  Finally  all  was  ready. 
But  meanwhile,  General  Lee  had  concentrated  all  his  available 
forces  around  his  position  in  the  rear  of  Fredericksburg.  He 
seems  to  have  suspected  that  General  Burnside  intended  cross- 
ing at  Port  Royal,  and  accordingly  sent  General  Jackson  to 
that  point  with  a  large  force,  to  act  as  circumstances  might  de- 
termine— either  as  an  army  of  observation  or  to  dispute  the 
passage  of  the  river.  Indeed,  a  large,  perhaps  the  larger  por- 
tion of  the  enemy's  forces  was  stationed  at  the  threatened 
point.  The  plan  of  crossing  at  Port  Royal  was  abandoned, 
while  yet  feints  were  kept  up  in  that  direction.  Then  General 
Burnside  decided  to  adopt  the  bold  plan  of  throwing  his  bridges 
across  the  river,  a  part  immediately  in  front  of  Fredericks- 
burg itself,  and  the  remainder  at  a  point  two  miles  below,  be- 
tween Deep  Run  and  Massaponax  Creek.  It  was  supposed 
that  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Port 
Royal,  and  that  a  rapid  crossing  immediately  in  front  of  our 
position,  and  a  swift  advance  upon  the  heights  would  be  a  suc- 
cessful surprise.  There  was  another  circumstance  which 
doubtless  had  its  weight.  The  town  made  an  admirable 
tete  cle  pont.  It  had  a  rebel  population.  It  was  rebel 
property.  General  Lee's  batteries  on  the  hills  could  not  pre- 
vent the  crossing  of  our  troops  without  destroying  the  lives 
and  property  of  the  friends  of  his  cause.  He  would  naturally 
hesitate  before  committing  such  an  act.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  town  would  lie  at  our  mercy.  If  the  houses  of  Fred- 
ericksburg should  become  shelter  for  the  enemy's  infantry, 
which  could  alone  oppose  our  passage  of  the  river,  our  artillery 


1862.]  AT   FALMOUTH.  209 

was  at  hand  to  demolish  them.  The  town,  once  occupied, 
afforded  shelter  to  our  own  forces.  For  General  Lee  would 
still  be  restrained  from  destroying  it  by  his  reluctance  to  injure 
his  friends.  Moreover,  it  was  hoped  that  our  columns,  after 
crossing,  would  move  through  the  town  and  charge  the  ene- 
my's position.  General  Burnside  did  not  expect  to  meet  with 
much  difficulty  or  opposition  in  crossing  the  river.  That  was 
thought  to  be  a  comparatively  easy  task.  The  chief  labor  was 
to  be  performed  after  the  passage  of  the  river  had  been  effected. 
There  was  one  difficulty,  however,  which  may  not  have  been 
duly  appreciated.  It  is  possible  that  it  had  in  it  an  element  of 
great  weakness  for  our  troops.  It  consisted  in  the  occupation 
of  an  abandoned  town  by  a  hostile  army.  The  unoccupied 
houses  and  stores,  many  of  which  belonged  to  persons  of  con- 
siderable wealth,  would, offer  opportunities  for  plunder  too 
tempting  to  be  missed.  Here  was  an  influence  of  demoraliza- 
tion which  was  not  to  be  disregarded.  The  numerous  camp 
followers  that  hung  upon  the  skirts  of  the  army,  in  several  in- 
stances the  soldiers  themselves,  would  be  exposed  to  a  temp- 
tation which  would  make  a  proper  measure  of  discipline  ex- 
ceedingly difficult.  This  may  be  thought  a  minor  consideration. 
But  upon  matters  of  less  moment  have  the  most  important  move- 
ments sometimes  hinged. 

Beyond  the  town  lay  the  slope  up  which  the  army  was  to 
march  in  order  to  reach  the  enemy's  lines.  Above  the  slope 
frowned  the  enemy's  batteries.  The  main  task  was  to  carry  those 
heights,  bristling  with  bayonets  and  dark  with  cannon.  It 
was  a  perilous  undertaking.  For  the  first  time  in  its  history, 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  to  "  move  on  the  enemy's 
works"  for  a  determined  assault.  It  had  shown  itself  une- 
qualled for  defensive  warfare.  Could  it  successfully  take  the 
aggressive  ?  The  answer  to  that  momentous  question  was 
soon  to  be  given  in  fire  and  blood ! 

27 


210  ARMY   OF  THE  POTOMAC.  [December, 


CHAPTEE    VIII 

THE   BATTLE    OF   FREDERICKSBURG. 

WHAT  assurance  of  success  had  General  Burnside  in 
carrying  his  plans  into  successful  execution  ?  By  the 
consolidated  morning  reports  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  it 
appears  that,  on  the  10th  of  December,  there  was  in  front  of 
the  enemy  an  effective  force  of  one  hundred  and  eleven  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  thirty-four  officers  and  men  of  all  arms.  The 
artillery  consisted  of  three  hundred  and  twelve  guns  of  differ- 
ent calibre,  mostly  field  pieces.  Of  the  three  grand  divisions,* 
the  left,  General  Franklin's,  was  the  largest,  consisting  of  forty- 
six  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety-two  officers  and  men 
and  one  hundred  and  sixteen  pieces  of  artillery,  and  was  com- 
posed of  the  first  corps,  General  J.  J.  Reynolds,  and  the. sixth 
corps,  General  W  H.  Smith.  General  Reynolds's  division 
officers  were  Generals  Meade,  Gibbon  and  Doubleday  ;  Gene- 
ral Smith's  were  Generals  Newton,  Brooks  and  Howe.  The 
centre  grand  division,  General  Hooker's,  numbered  thirty- 
nine  thousand,  nine  hundred  and  eighty-four  officers  and  men 
and  one  hundred  pieces  of  artillery,- and  was  composed  of  the 
third  corps,  General  Stoneman,  and  the  fifth  corps,  General 
Butterfield.  General  Stoneman's  division  commanders  were 
Generals  Sickles,  Birney  and  "Whipple  ;  General  Butterfield's 
were  Generals  Sykes,  Humphreys  and  Charles  Griffin.  The 
right  grand  division,  General  Sumner's,  numbered  twenty-two 
thousand  seven  hundred   and  thirty-six  officers  and  men  and 

*For  the  sake  of  convenience  of  reference  the  organization  of  the  army  is 
stated  in  detail,  notwithstanding  some  of  the  particulars  have  already  been 
given. 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   FREDERICKSBURG.  211 

sixty  pieces  of  artillery,  and  consisted  of  the  Ninth  Corps, 
General  Willcox,  and  the  second  corps,  General  Couch.  Gen- 
eral Willcox's  division  commanders  were  Generals  Getty, 
Sturgis  and  Burns ;  General  Couch's  were  Generals  French, 
Hancock  and  Howard.  The  brigade  of  engineers,  numbering 
fifteen  hundred  and  five  officers  and  men,  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  D.  P  Woodbury,  to  whom  was  assigned  the 
duty  of  laying  the  bridges  for  the  crossing.  The  signal  corps, 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Samuel  T.  Gushing,  numbered 
one  hundred  and  fifty  officers  and  men.  General  Patrick's 
Provost  Guard  numbered  about  two  hundred  officers  and  men. 
General  Ingalls'  Quartermaster's  Department  numbered  one 
hundred  and  fifty  officers  and  men,  and  the  headquarters  escort 
about  two  hundred  officers  and  men.  A  certain  portion  of  the 
whole  army  was  occupied  in  guarding  the  railroad  and  per- 
forming picket  and  outpost  duty.  The  cavalry  was  held  in 
reserve.  There  was,  probably,  in  round  numbers,  an  available 
force  of  one  hundred  thousand  officers  and  men,  who  were 
either  actively  engaged  or  held  in  support,  and  thus,  in  a  mea- 
sure, exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy  at  some  time  during  the 
day  of  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg. 

The  time  for  action  came.  On  the  10th  of  December,  the 
army  was  concentrated  along  the  river  front,  within  short 
marching  distance  from  the  bank,  but  concealed  as  much  as 
possible  from  the  enemy  by  the  undulations  of  the  land.  Dur- 
ing the  night  the  artillery  was  posted  along  the  edge  of  the 
plateau,  from  Falmouth  to  a  point  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Massaponax.  Orders  were  issued  to  the  engineers  under  Gen- 
eraj  Woodbury  to  be  ready  for  work  at  three  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  11th,  and  a  sufficient  force  of  infantry  and  artil- 
lery was  detailed  to  cover  the  crossings  and  protect  the  work- 
ing parties.  Three  points  were  selected  for  throwing  the 
bridges  : — the  first  at  a  short  distance  above  the  place  where 
the  county  bridge  had  stood ;  the  second  opposite  the  lower 
end  of  the  town,  and  the  third  about  a  mile  below  Fredericks- 
burg nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  Deep  Run  and  not  far  from 


212  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [December, 

the  estate  of  a  planter  named  Bernard.  At  the  first  of  these 
points  two,  at  the  second  one,  and  at  the  third  three  bridges 
were  to  be  laid.  Upon  these  six  bridges  the  army  was  to  cross 
the  Rappahannock,  occupy  the  town  and  move  rapidly  to  the 
assault.  The  left,  by  a  vigorous  and  decisive  attack,  was  to 
pierce  the  enemy's  line  near  Captain  Hamilton's  crossing,  seize 
the  road  in  the  rear  and  compel  the  evacuation  of  the  works 
upon  the  crest.  Then  the  right  and  centre,  in  support  of  the 
left  attack,  were  to  force  the  enemy  from  the  heights  in  front 
and  pursue  along  the  telegraph  or  the  plank  road,  according 
to  the  direction  of  the  enemy's  retreat.  The  success  of  the  plan 
of  attack  was  to  depend  upon  the  celerity  and  vigor  with  which 
the  troops  were  pushed  to  its  execution. 

The  morning  of  the  11th  dawned  raw,  cold  and  foggy.  The 
engineers — among  whom  were  volunteers  from  the  8th  Con- 
necticut regiment  of  the  Ninth  Corps — were  promptly  at  work 
upon  the  bridges.  But  little  opposition  was  made  to  the  opera- 
tions of  General  Franklin's  working  parties  below  the  town, 
and  after  considerable  labor,  his  three  bridges  were  laid,  secured 
and  strengthened.  At  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  he  report- 
ed to  General  Burnside  that  he  was  ready  to  cross  his  grand 
division.  But  operations  immediately  opposite  the  town  had 
not  proceeded  so  satisfactorily  as  General  Burnside  had  hoped, 
and  General  Franklin  was  ordered  to  hold  his  bridges,  but  not 
to  cross  the  main  body  of  his  troops  till  the  upper  bridges  were 
completed.  The  latter  work  was  destined  to  meet  with  con- 
siderable opposition.  As  the  day  came  on  the  design  of  cross- 
ing was  revealed  to  the  enemy's  forces  in  the  town.  About 
two  thirds  of  the  work  of  laying  the  bridges  had  been  accom- 
plished, when  the  sharpshooters  of  General  Barksdale's  Mis- 
sissippi brigade  posted  in  the  houses  and  streets  directed  a 
destructive  fire  upon  the  working  parties.  Then  our  artillery 
opened  along  the  whole  line  opposite  the  town.  Amid  the 
deafening^roar  of  cannon,  the  shrieking  and  bursting  of  shells, 
the  crash  of  falling  timbers,  as  solid  shot  pierced  the  walls,  our 
men  attempted  to  finish  the  bridges.     Soon  the  exploding  shells 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   FREDERICKSBURG.  213 

set  several  houses  on  fire,  and  a  portion  of  the  city  broke  out 
into  flames.  But  the  persistent  sharpshooters  of  the  enemy 
obstinately  held  their  position,  and  poured  in  a  withering  fire. 
Our  engineers  were  brave,  but  they  were  unable  to  work,  ex- 
posed as  they  were  to  the  deliberate  aim  of  riflemen  that  rarely 
missed  their  mark.  General  Woodbury  reported  to  General 
Burnside  that»  the  bridges  could  not  be  built.  "  They  must  be 
built,"  replied  the  chief.  "  Try  again."  Once  again  our  men 
engaged  in  the  useless  endeavor.  «  Once  again  they  were 
obliged  to  desist.  Once  again  General  Woodbury  reported  his 
inability  to  complete  his  task.  Our  artillery  could  not  dislodge 
those  Mississippian  riflemen  from  their  position  in  the  town. 

At  noon  the  fog  lifted,  and  the  enemy's  fire  became,  if  possi- 
ble, more  deadly.  General  Burnside  had  been  at  the  Lacy 
house  through  most  of  the  morning,  anxious  and  impatient  to 
put  his  troops  across  the  river.  Upon  receiving  the  last  report 
of  General  Woodbury,  he  immediately  went  down  to  the  river- 
side himself.  He  at  once  saw  the  difficulty.  He  also  saw  the 
remedy.  Consulting  with  his  chief  of  artillery,  General  Hunt 
and  other  officers,  he  decided  to  call  for  volunteers  to  cross  the 
river  in  boats,  drive  out  its  defenders  and  hold  the  town  till  the 
bridges  should  be  built.  Soldiers  from  three  regiments — the 
7th  Michigan,  the  19th  and  20th  Massachusetts — sprang  for- 
ward at  the  call.  Men  of  the  50th  New  York  were  ready  to 
take  the  place  of  oarsmen.  With  the  flag  of  the  Union  floating 
in  the  van,  the  brave  fellows  turned  the  prows  of  their  boats 
towards  the  enemy  and  pushed  off  from  the  shore.  A  few 
minutes'  strong  pulling  through  the  storm  of  death,  and  the 
opposite  shore  was  reached.  A  party  from  the  89th  New 
York,  of  General  Getty's  division,  crossed  at  a  point  where  the 
middle  bridge  was  thrown,  and  our  troops  soon  had  the  enemy 
in  flank  and  rear.  They  rushed  eagerly  up  the  bank,  along  the 
streets,  through  the  rifle  pits,  into  the  houses,  and  in  half  an 
hour's  time  the  city  of  Fredericksburg  was  in  our  possession. 
The  remnants  of  the  Mississippi  brigade,  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  that  managed  to  escape,  fell  into   our  hands  as  prisoners 


214  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Decbmbeb, 

of  war.     The  engineers-  immediately  proceeded  in  their  work 
and  the  bridges  were  laid. 

It  was  now  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  precious  day 
had  been  almost  wasted.  Nothing  more  could  be  done  than 
to  cross  a  portion  of  the  troops  to  hold  the  bridge  heads.  Gen- 
eral Devens's  brigade  of  General  Smith's  corps — the  2d  Rhode 
Island  regiment  in  advance — crossed  by  the  lower  bridges,  and 
brushing  away  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  held  the  position. 
Colonel  Hawkins's  brigade — the  46th  New  York  in  advance — 
and  General  Howard's  division  crossed  by  the  upper  bridges 
and  occupied  the  town.  By  this  time  the  night  had  settled 
down,  and  our  troops,  after  establishing  their  picket  lines  well 
out  towards  the  enemy,  bivouacked  in  the  streets  and  gardens 
of  Fredericksburg.  No  soldiers  were  allowed  to  enter  the 
houses,  and  the  provost  guard  was  vigilant.  Still,  some  cases 
of  plunder  occurred,  but  they  were  so  few  as  to  speak  well  for 
the  discipline  of  the  army. 

The  12th  was  occupied  in  crossing  the  remainder  of  the 
troops,  with  the  exception  of  General  Hooker's  grand  division, 
which  was  held  in  reserve  on  the  hither  side  of  the  river.  The 
residue  of  General  Franklin's  grand  division,  consisting  of  the 
balance  of  General  Smith's  corps,  the  whole  of  General  Rey- 
nolds's corps,  and  General  Bayard's  brigade  of  cavalry,  began 
the  crossing  at  daylight,  and  completed  it  at  one  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  The  troops  were  put  in  position — two  divisions  of 
Smith's  corps  in  line  of  battle  and  one  in  reserve  near  the  old 
Richmond  road,  Reynolds's  corps  nearly  at  right  angles  with 
Smith's,  enpotence,  as  it  were,  his  right  resting  on  Smith's  left 
and  his  left  on  the  river.  These  dispositions  were  made  in  the 
face  of  a  spiteful  but  almost  harmless  fire  from  the  enemy's 
skirmishers  and  artillery.  The  road  was  bordered  by  an 
earthen  parapet  and  ditch,  but  the  ground  was  generally  level. 
In  front  of  General  Reynolds's  right  was  a  considerable  tract 
of  forest  land,  traversed  by  the  railroad,  and  bordered  nearer 
the  hills  by  the  old  Richmond  road.  General  Sumner,  on  his 
part,  sent  across  the   river    the   remaining  part   of  the  right 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   FREDERICKSBURG.  215 

grand  division,  the  balance  of  General  Couch's  and  General 
Willcox's  corps.  General  Couch  held  the  town,  and  General 
Willcox  connected  with  General  Franklin's  right.  These 
movements  were  made  under ,  an  occasional  fire  from  the  ene- 
my's batteries  on  the  heights,  but  without  any  material  loss. 
General  Hooker  moved  General  Butterfield's  corps  and  Gen- 
eral Whipple's  division  of  General  Stoneman's  corps  to  the 
support  of  General  Sumner's  movement,  and  the  remainder  of 
General  Stoneman's  corps  to  the  support  of  General  Franklin. 
Another  day  was  thus  consumed.  General  Burnside  visited 
and  inspected  his  lines  and  conferred  with  his  grand  division 
and  some  of  his  corps  commanders  during  the  night  of  the 
12th,  and  returned  at  a  late  hour  to  his  headquarters,  on  the 
Falmouth  side  of  the  river.  General  Lee  made  his  dispositions 
for  defence.  He  brought  General  Jackson  up  from  Port  Royal, 
and  massed  his  troops  somewhat  heavily  upon  the  right  of  his 
line. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  13th,  written  orders  were  issued  to 
the  several  grand  division  commanders,  in  accordance  with  the 
plan  of  battle  adopted  by  General  Burnside  and  after  full  ver- 
bal instructions.  General  Franklin's  order  was  despatched  at 
fifty-five  minutes  past  five  o'clock.  It  was  carried  to  him  by 
General  Hardie,  who  remained  at  General  Franklin's  head- 
quarters during  the  day.  The  principal  part  of  the  order  was 
as  follows  :  "  The  general  commanding  directs  that  you  keep 
your  whole  command  in  position  for  a  rapid  movement  down 
the  old  Richmond  road,  and  you  will  send  out  a  division  at 
least,  to  pass  below  Smithfield  to  seize,  if  possible,  the  heights 
near  Captain  Hamilton's,  on  this  side  of  the  Massaponax,  tak- 
ing care  to  keep  it  well  supported  and  its  line  of  retreat  open. 
He  has  ordered  another  column  of  a  division  or  more  to  be 
moved  from  General  Sumner's  command  up  the  plank  road 
to  its  intersection  with  the  telegraph  road,  where  they  will  di- 
vide with  a  view  to  seizing  the  heights  on  both  those  roads. 
Holding  those  two  heights,  with  the  heights  near  Captain  Ham- 
ilton's, will,  he  hopes*  compel  the  enemy  to  evacuate  the  whole 


216  AEMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [December, 

ridge  between  these  points.  Two  of  General  Hooker's  divi- 
sions are  in  your  rear  at  the  bridges,  and  will  remain  there  as 
supports."  General  Sumner's  order  was  sent  at  six  o'clock, 
and  was  as  follows  :  "  The  general  commanding  directs  that 
you  extend  the  left  of  your  command  to  Deep  River,  connect- 
ing with  General  Franklin,  extending  your  right  as  far  as  your 
judgment  may  dictate.  He  also  directs  that  you  push  a  col- 
umn of  a  division  or  more  along  the  plank  and  telegraph  roads, 
with  a  view  to  seizing  the  heights  in  the  rear  of  the  town. 
The  latter  movement  should  be  well  covered  by  skirmishers, 
and  supported  so  as  to  keep  its  line  of  retreat  open.  The  col- 
umn for  a  movement  up  the  telegraph  and  plank  roads  will  be 
got  in  readiness  to  move,  but  will  not  move  till  the  general  com- 
manding communicates  with  you."  General  Hooker,  at  seven 
o'clock,  was  simply  ordered  to  "  place  General  Butterfield's 
corps  and  General  Whipple's  division  in  position  to  cross  at  a 
moment's  notice  at  the  three  upper  bridges,  in  support  of  the 
other  troops  over  the  river,  and  the  two  remaining  divisions  of 
General  Stoneman's  corps  in  readiness  to  cross  at  the  lower 
bridges,  in  support  of  General  Franklin."  General  Burnside 
was  to  meet  both  Generals  Sumner  and  Hooker  at  the  Phillips 
house  at  an  early  hour,  and  accordingly  deferred  completing 
his  orders  until  he  could  deliver  them  at  a  personal  i  nterview. 
In  General  Sumner's  case,  the  reservation  was  made  in  regard 
to  moving  the  troops,  in  order  that  such  movement  should  be 
withheld  until  General  Franklin's  attack  should  have  been 
sufficiently  developed  to  promise  a  complete  success.  The  ar- 
tillery, under  the  direction  of  General  Hunt,  was  distributed 
among  the  different  corps,  and  the  batteries  moved  in  connec- 
tion with  their  respective  commands.  The  watchword  of  the 
day,  given  in  order  to  prevent  collision  among  our  own  forces 
in  the  fog,  was  "  Scott."  Each  general  of  grand  division  re- 
ceived a  copy  of  the  orders  given  to  the  others. 

General  Franklin  established  his  headquarters  near  the  Ber- 
nard house,  or  Mansfield,  as  it  is  sometimes  called  ;  General 
Sumner's  headquarters   were  at   the   Lacy   house ;     General 


Deo   10-1&.   <sfei-        i  i  ■'  t     i  !   t  fni\p? 


\  = 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   FREDERICKSBURG.  217 

Hooker  and  Burnsicle's  headquarters  were  at  the  Phillips 
House.  The  troops  were  put  in  readiness,  and  all  parties  anx- 
iously awaited  the  lifting  of  the  fog.  The  instructions  seemed 
to  be  ample  and  sufficiently  clear.  General  Franklin's  task 
was  to  seize  the  heights  near  Captain  Hamilton's  at  once,  pre- 
paratory to  a  movement  by  the  entire  left  wing  along  the  old 
Kichmond  road.  As  soon  as  that  was  in  process  of  accom- 
plishment, General  Sumner  was  to  move  up  the  telegraph  and 
plank  roads  and  seize  the  heights  on  the  enemy's  left,  advanc- 
ing his  whole  command  against  the  enemy's  lines.  General 
Hooker  was  promptly  to  support  the  other  two  attacks  with  a, 
view  to  pursuit,  if  they  were  succcessful,  and  to  gathering  in 
the  fruits  of  victory.  The  main  battle  was  to  be  on  our  left, 
and  the  attack  was  to  be  delivered  "  at  once."  General  Frank- 
lin was  esteemed  a  brave,  skilful,  cool  and  determined  officer. 
He  had  the  largest  portion  of  the  army.  His  bridges  were 
guarded,  his  flanks  and  rear  were  perfectly  secure,  both  by  the 
infantry  and  the  heavy  artillery  posted  on  the  heights  on  the 
hither  side.  But  General  Franklin's  temperament,  a;s  is  per- 
fectly well  known,  is  somewhat  sluggish.  He  did  not  seem  to 
comprehend  General  Burnside's  plan  of  battle.  He  even  has 
since  appeared  to  doubt  if  General  Burnside  had  any  definite 
plan  at  all.  He  professed  to  think  that  the  main  attack  was 
to  be„upon  the  enemy's  left,  and  that  his  own  movement,  to  be 
made  immediately  and  with  a  view  to  piercing  the  enemy's 
lines,  was  an  armed  reconnaissance.  He  had  been  averse  to 
the  movement  from  the  first,  as  also  had  been  some  of  his  infe- 
rior officers,  and  neither  he  nor  they  were  especially  zealous  to 
contribute  to  its  success.  All  of  them  were  good  and  brave 
soldiers.  None  in  the  army  were  more  so.  General  Reynolds 
was  particularly  gallant  and  determined,  and  would  have  car- 
ried out  the  wishes  of  the  commanding  general  had  he  been 
properly  supported.  No  one  of  the  corps  commanders  indeed 
would  disobey  a  superior  officer,  even  when  it  conflicted  with 
his  own  judgment.  But  though  obedience  was  rendered,  it 
was  evident  that  there  was  in  it  a  lack  of  enthusiasm.  Obedi- 
28 


218  AEMT    OF   THE   fOTOMAC.  [December 

ence  is  sometimes  given  in  such  a  half-hearted  way  as  to  ren- 
der it  almost  nugatory.  When  the  will  is  wanting,  it  is  easy 
to  find  obstructions  in  the  way.  Under  such  circumstances, 
the  simplest  order  becomes  difficult  of  execution.  General 
Franklin  ordered  General  Reynolds  to  send  out  "  a  division  at 
least,"  to  seize  the  heights.  General  Reynolds  sent  one  divi- 
sion under  General  George  G.  Meade. 

At  nine  o'clock,  General  Meade  moved  out  on  the  old  Rich- 
mond road.  General  Doubleday  supported  him  with  a  divi- 
sion. But  on  advancing,  General  Doubleday  was  obliged  to 
•move  to  the  left  to  protect  the  left  flank  of  the  army  against  a 
demonstration  made  by  General  Stuart  with  cavalry  and  ar- 
tillery. General  Gibbon's  division  took  General  Doubleday's 
vacated  position.  General  Meade's  skirmishers  were  soon  en- 
gaged with  those  of  the  enemy,  and  the  division  became  ex- 
posed to  an  artillery  fire  in  front.  General  Meade's  advance 
was  very  slow.  He  was  obliged  to  clear  away  the  enemy's 
artillery  in  front  and  flank,  and  to  make  frequent  halts  for 
the  purpose  of  closing  up  his  own  columns,  and  to  allow  the 
division  following  to  come  within  near  supporting  distance.  At 
eleven  o'clock,  he  had  only  gained  half  a  mile,  though  suffer- 
ing no  loss  of  great  importance.  General  Reynolds  soon  after 
developed  his  whole  line,  posting  General  Doubleday  on  the 
left,  General  Meade  in  the  centre,  and  General  Gibbon  on  the 
right — General  Meade  being-  in  advance  and  General  Gibbon 
in  the  rear,  his  left  overlapping  General  Meade's  right.  Gen- 
eral Franklin  supposed  that  he  was  greatly  outnumbered,  and 
feared  an  attack  from  the  enemy's  forces  on  his  extreme  left. 
Instead  of  boldly  attacking,  as  General  Burnside  had  intended, 
he  was  thus  far  standing  on  the  defensive.  General  Meade's 
advance  seems  to  have  been  made  simply  to  give  room  for  fur- 
ther disposition  of  the  troops.  General  Franklin  appeared  to 
be  more  disposed  to  hold  his  position  than  to  take  the  aggres- 
sive. He  ordered  General  Stoneman  to  cross  one  division, 
General  Birney's,  to  support  his  left  and  occupy  the  gap  which 
would  remain  after  General  Meade's  advance.     General  Sick- 


1862.]  BATTLE   OF   FREDERICKSBURG.  219 

les's  division  crossed  the  river  soon  after  noon  and  took  position 
in  General  Reynolds's  line.  The  troops  upon  the  left  were  thus 
formed  from  left  to  right :  Doubleday,  two  brigades  of  Birney, 
with  Meade  in  front ;  Sickles,  with  Gibbon  in  front ;  the  remain- 
der of  Birney's  division,  Howe,  Newton  and  Brooks. 

The  enemy's  line  was  formed  with  General  Longstreet's 
corps  upon  the  left,  occupying  the  works  on  the  Marye  estate, 
the  stone  wall  along  the  telegraph  road,  and  the  heights 
beyond  ;  General  Jackson's  corps  occupied  the  right  opposite 
General  Franklin ;  General  A.  P  Hill  held  the  first  line  in 
front  of  and  near  Hamilton's  crossing ;  General  Taliaferro, 
commanding  Jackson's  old  division,  held  the  second  line  in 
General  Hill's  rear  ;  General  D.  H.  Hill  held  the  third  line 
behind  the  crest.  On  the  slope  of  the  hill  commanding  tne 
crossing,  Colonel  Lindsay  Walker  had  posted  his  artillery, 
consisting  of  Pegram's,  Mcintosh's,  and  sections  of  Crenshaw's, 
Latham's  and  Johnson's  batteries.  On  the  left  of  this  line, 
near  the  avenue  leading  from  the  Bernard  estate,  -was  Da- 
vidson's  artillery,  twenty-one  guns,  and  on  the  right  of  that 
position  were  twelve  guns  under  Captain  Brockenborough. 
General  Jackson's  left  joined  General  Longstreet's  right,  which 
was  under  the  command  of  General  Hood,  and  constituted  the 
centre  of  the  enemy's  line.  It  will  thus  be  perceived  that  Gen- 
eral Meade  had  no  ordinary  work  to  perform.  With  five 
thousand  men,  he  was  sent  by  General  Franklin  to  perform  a 
task  which  required  four  or  five  times  that  number. 

By  twelve  o'clock,  most  of  the  dispositions  on  our  side  were 
made,  and  General  Meade  began  to  advance  with  earnestness 
and  vigor.  His  division  consisted  of  three  brigades,  of  which 
the  third  was  on  the  left,  the  first  on  the  right,  closely  followed 
by  the  second.  General  Gibbon's  division  was  ordered  to  hold 
itself  ready  as  a  support.  The  troops  went  forward  with  great 
spirit  and  resolution.  In  handsome  style  they  charged  up  the 
road,  regardless  of  a  hot  fire  from  the  enemy,  crossed  the  rail- 
road, ascended  the  heights  beyond,  broke  through  the  enemy's 
first   line,  penetrated  very  nearly  to  the   enemy's  second  line 


220  ARMY   OF   THE  POTOMAC.  [December, 

under  General  Taliaferro,  and  gained  a  position  near  Captain 
Hamilton's  house,  capturing  and  sending  back  three  hundred 
prisoners  and  more.  Nothing  could  be  better  than  this  gallant 
charge.  It  was  made  in  the  midst  of  a  destructive  fire  of  mus- 
ketry in  front,  and  a  severe  enfilading  fire  of  artillery,  and  for 
a  time  carried  everything  before  it.  Finding  an  interval  in 
the  enemy's  line  between  the  brigades  of  Archer  and  Lane, 
General  Meade  took  advantage  of  it,  and  wedged  his  advance 
in,  turning  the  flanks  of  both  brigades  and  throwing  them  into 
confusion.  He  next  struck  Gregg's  brigade  and  broke  it  to 
pieces,  with  the  loss  of  its  commanding  officer.  General  A.  P 
Hill's  line  was  thus  pierced,  and  General  Meade's  next  duty  was 
to  break  the  line  of  General  Taliaferro.  But  this  was  not  so  easy. 
For  an  hour  and  a  half  had  the  gallant  little  division  pushed 
forward  in  its  successful  career.  But  it  was  now  bearing  the 
brunt  of  a  contest  with  the  entire  corps  of  General  Jackson, 
which  had  been  ordered  to  meet  the  audacious  attack,  and  it 
could  not  maintain  itself  without  continued  support.  General 
Doubleday  was  not  actively  engaged  on  the  left,  except  to  pre- 
vent Stuart's  advance.  There  was  no  strong  attack  from  the 
enemy  in  that  quarter.  Two  corps  were  resting  quietly  near 
the  river  and  down  towards  the  bridges,  engaged  very  diligently 
in  "  keeping  the  line  of  retreat  open." 

General  Meade  most  urgently  desired  support.  General 
Beynolds  ordered  General  Gibbon  in,  and  that  officer  hastened 
to  the  aid  of  the  imperilled  division.  Ward's  brigade  of  General 
Birney's  division  was  also  ordered  forward.  But  it  was  too 
late.  All  the  enemy's  right  wing — except  the  command  of 
General  Stuart,  which  General  Doubleday  was  holding  in  check 
— was  now  concentrated  upon  two  small  divisions  of  our  army, 
and,  after  an  unavailing  struggle  of  another  hour,  General 
Meade  was  forced  back.  General  Gibbon  was  slightly  wound- 
ed, and  the  two  divisions  were  badly  cut  up.  General  New- 
ton's division  of  General  Smith's  corps,  and  General  Sickles's 
division  of  General  Stoneman's  were  sent  forward  to  aid  the 
engaging  forces   in  extricating  themselves  from   the  position. 


1862.]  BATTLE   OF    FREDERICKSBURG.  221 

General  Meade  had  come  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  achieving  a 
great  success.  His  attack  had  been  so  vigorous  as  to  be  almost  a 
surprise.  His  troops  had  come  upon  the  enemy,  in  some  cases, 
before  he  had  time  to  take  the  muskets  from  the  stacks.  Gen- 
eral Meade  was  very  decidedly  of  the  opinion,  that  "  if  large 
reinforcements  had  been  thrown  in  immediately  after "  his 
"  attack,  we  could  have  held  that  plateau,  and,  if  we  had  done 
that,  the  result  of  the  operations  there  would  have  been  very- 
different  from  what  they  were."*  General  Meade  undoubtedly 
felt  as  though  a  victory  could  have  been  gained,  had  he  re- 
ceived the  support  to  which  he  was  entitled.  He  thought  that 
one  or  two  divisions  at  the  bridge  heads  would  have  been  suffi- 
cient to  hold  them  securely  and  keep  open  the  line  of  retreat. 
Out  of  the  five  divisions  in  his  rear,  he  had  a  right  to  suppose 
that  a  larger  force  than  a  single  brigade  would  have  been  sent 
to  his  assistance.  Even  for  that  small  reenforcement,  he  was 
obliged  to  send  no  less  than  three  separate  times — putting  the 
last  appeal  into  the  form  of  a  peremptory  order.  When  the 
brigade  from  General  Birney's  division  came,  the  most  it  could 
do,  though  bravely  advancing,  was  to  help  in  giving  to  the  ex- 
hausted forces  that  had  made  so  gallant  an  advance,  an  oppor- 
tunity for  retiring  in  comparative  safety.  The  remainder  of  our 
troops  upon  that  wing  were  not  actively  in  contact  with  the  ene- 
my beyond  a  little  skirmishing  and  some  artillery  fire. 

General  Burnside  at  thirty  minutes  past  one  o'clock  sent 
a  written  order  to  General  Franklinf  to  advance  with  all  his 
available  force  and  carry  the  heights  in  his  front,  which  Gen- 
eral Meade  had  previously  won  and  lost.  Orders  to  the  same 
effect  had  already  been  given,  but  had  not  been  zealously 
obeyed.  General  Franklin  did  not  think 'fit  to  regard  this  last 
order  of  General  Burnside  with  any  better  feeling.  Indeed,  he 
seems  to  have  been  disposed  to  treat  it  somewhat  contemptu- 
ously.    "  I  look  upon  the  order,"    he  says,  J  "  as  the  attempt 

*  Gen.  Meade's  testimony  before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War, 
I.,  G02. 
t  Order  .received  at  2.25  P.  m.      |  New  York  Tribune  of  March  24th,  18G6. 


222  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Dbcembee, 

of  a  man  frantic  with  desperation  at  the  failure  due  to  his  in- 
efficient orders  of  the  morning,  to  retreive  his  reputation  by 
the  last  resource  of  all  weak  generals,  an  attack  along  the  whole 
line.  Knowing  as  I  did,  that  darkness  would  overtake  us  be- 
fore we  could  reach  the  enemy,  I  did  not  make  the  attack 
ordered,  and  I  explained  to  General  Burnside  that  night  my 
reasons  for  not  making  it."  The  question  naturally  arises  in  the 
mind  of  a  candid  observer,  whether  General  Franklin  could  not 
now  have  reached  the  enemy  sooner,  if  he  had  vigorously  ad- 
vanced in  the  first  place  at  an  earlier  hour  in  the  day.  "  It  would 
have  required  two  hours  or  more,"  he  says,  "for  either  of  Gene- 
ral Smith's  divisions  to  have  reached  the  enemy's  works  on  the 
summit  of  the  ridge,  on  account  of  the  natural  and  artificial 
obstacles  in  the  way."  But  it  would  appear  as  though  it  would 
not  have  taken  so  long  a  time,  had  the  proper  dispositions  been 
previously  made.  The  reason  for  the  failure  in  making  those 
dispositions  has  not  yet  been  satisfactorily  shown. 

The  favorable  opportunity  for  making  any  decided  impres- 
sion upon  the  enemy's  lines  had  been  allowed  to  pass.  The 
languid  nature  of  the  operations  upon  our  left — always  with 
the  glorious  exception  of  General  Meade's  attack — had  permit- 
ted the  moment  of  victory  to  glide  away  from  our  hands. 
General  Jackson  had  now  massed  his  forces  in  front  of  Gene- 
ral Franklin's  position.  Instead  of  waiting  for  an  attack,  he 
threatened  to  deliver  one  and  also  detached  a  force  to  hold 
the  divisions  of  Generals  Howe  and  Brooks  in  check.  Grow- 
ing more  bold  as  he  perceived  the  hesitation  of  our  forces,  he 
actually  made  a  spirited  assault  upon  General  Franklin's  bat- 
teries in  front,  but  was  speedily  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  pri- 
soners. The  short  winter's  day  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and 
nothing  further  could  be  done  on  either  side.  At  half-past 
four  o'clock,  General  Franklin  reported  that  it  was  "too  late  to 
advance  either  to  the  left  or  front,"  and  so  far  as  the  left 
grand  division  was  concerned,  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg 
was  over.  During  the  day,  it  had  suffered  the  loss  of  three 
hundred  and  seventy-three  killed,  two  thousand,  six  hundred 


1862.J  BATTLE   OF   FKEDERICKSBUKG.  228 

and  ninety-seven  wounded,  and  six  hundred  and  fifty-three 
missing — of  whom  three  hundred  and  fifty-three  killed,  two 
thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  wounded  and  five 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  missing  belonged  to  the  first  corps, 
General  Reynolds.  The  sixth  corps,  General  Smith,  had  not 
been  permitted  to  participate  to  any  extent  in  the  engagement 
during  the  entire  day.  Resting  on  its  arms,  it  had  been  obliged 
to  witness  the  advance  and  retreat  of  the  two  divisions  of 
Generals  Meade  and  Gibbon  without  being  allowed  to  go  to 
their  aid. 

The  centre  of  our  line  was  formed  by  the  Ninth  Corps.  On 
the  morning  of  the  13th  General  Willcox  was  directed  to  hold 
his  corps  in  readiness  to  support  the  attacks  to  be  made  upon 
the  left  and  right.  He  connected  his  own  right  with  General 
Couch's  line,  and  his  left  with  General  Franklin's,  holding  the 
ground  between  Hazel  and  Deep  Huns,  below  the  town.  Gen- 
eral Sturgis's  division  was  posted  on  the  right,  General  Getty's 
in  the  centre,  and  General  Burns's  on  the  left.  The  corps  re- 
mained quietly  in  position  until  noon,  when  General  Sturgis's 
division  was  sent  to  the  right  to  support  General  Couch.  Dick- 
inson's battery  was  posted  in  a  good  position  to  cover  the  ad- 
vance. General  Ferrero's  brigade  went  gallantly  forward,  and 
succeeded  in  checking  the  enemy,  who  had  repulsed  General 
Couch's  left,  and  was  following  up  his  advantage.  General 
Ferrero's  men  met  the  foe  wkh  their  accustomed  spirit  and 
quickly  drove  him  back  to  the  cover  of  his  rifle  pits.  Captain 
Dickinson,  who  had  served  his  battery  with  great  efficiency, 
was  killed,  and  his  battery  suffered  considerable  loss  in  men  and 
horses.  Major  Sidney  Willard,  of  the  35th  Massachusetts 
regiment,  an  accomplished  officer,  also  fell  during  this  move- 
ment. Ferrero's  brigade,  suffering  severely  from  the  enemy's 
fire,  was  reenforced  by  General  Nagle's  brigade,  and  soon  after- 
wards by  the  51st  New  York  under  Colonel  Potter.  "  All 
these  troops,"  says  General  Willcox  in  his  report  of  the  battle, 
"  behaved  well,  and  marched  under  a  he'avy  fire  across  the 
broken  plain,  pressed  up  to  the  field  at  the  foot  of  the  enemy's 


224  ARMY   OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [December, 

sloping  crest,  and  maintained  every  inch  of  their  ground  with 
igreat  obstinacy,  until  after  night  fall.  But  the  position  could 
'not  be  carried."  Lieutenant  Colonel  Welcome  B.  Sayles  and 
Major  Jacob  Babbitt  of  the  7th  Bhode  Island  fell  during  this 
movement,  the  former  killed  and  the  latter  mortally  wounded. 
The  7th  Ehode  Island,  Colonel  Bliss,  belonged  to  General 
Nagle's  brigade,  the  11th  New  Hampshire,  Colonel  Harriman, 
belonged  to  the  brigade  of  General  F»errero.  Both  were  new 
regiments,  and  both  received  at  Fredericksburg  their  initiation 
of  blood.  They  stood  at  their  posts  with  the  steadiness  of 
veterans,  they  advanced  with  the  enthusiasm  of  genuine  sol- 
diers, they  won  the  encomium  of  all  who  witnessed  their  valor 
on  this  their  first  day  of  battle. 

During  the  afternoon,  General  Whipple  sent  over  to  the  line 
of  the  Ninth  Corps  Colonel  Carroll's  brigade,  consisting  of  the 
84th  and  110th  Pennsylvania  and  the  163d  New  York,  to  assist 
General  Sturgis's  operations.  A  brigade  of  General  Griffin's 
division  from  the  fifth  corps  also  lent  a  timely  aid.  Captain 
Phillips's  battery  from  General  Hooker's  command  did  good 
service,  and  Captain  Buckley's  Rhode  Island  battery — D,  1st 
Bhode  Island  light  artillery — belonging  to  the  Ninth  Corps, 
made  itself  conspicuous  for  its  gallantry  and  well  delivered  fire. 
But  all  efforts  to  dislodge  the  enemy  were  in  vain,  and  about 
half-past  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  General  Willcox  with- 
drew General  Sturgis  from  the  advanced  position,  which  he 
held  close  under  the  enemy's  works,  and  from  which  he  was 
relieved  by  the  division  of  General  Griffin. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  General  Burns's  division 
crossed  Deep  Run  in  support  of  General  Franklin's  command. 
By  this  movement  it  was  thrown  out  of  the  action  altogether 
and  could  do  little  more  than  look  as  a  spectator  upon  movements 
in  which  it  could  not  participate.  General  Franklin  did  not 
choose  to  employ  it,  and  by  such  a  movement  he  could  only 
neutralize,  or  at  least  impede  the  operations  of  the  centre  of  the 
army.  But  for  General  Getty's  division  a  more  active  duty 
was  required.    It  was  held — up  to  a  late  hour  in  the  afternoon — 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF    FREDERICKSBURG.  225 

as  a  reserve  and  a  guard  to  the  left  of  the   town.     At  four 
o'clock,  General  Willcox  determined  to  send  it  into  the  fight, 
with  the  hope  that  it  might  create  a  diversion  in  favor  of  our 
troops  that  had  been  hotly  engaged  through  the  greater  part  of 
the  day,  and  possibly  find  a  weak  place  in  the  enemy's  line. 
The  Division,  forming  in  two  lines  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy, 
marched  bravely  forward,   advancing  over  the  plain,  crossing 
the  railroad,  a  dry  canal  trench  and  some  marshy  ground,   and 
with  considerable  exertion  gained  a  position  on  the  left  of  Gen- 
eral Couch's  line,  within  less  than  a  hundred  feet  of  the  enemy's 
strongest  position.     Here  a  severe  fire  of  musketry  was  added 
to  the  artillery,  whose  shot  and  shell  had  already  thinned  the 
ranks  of  the  Division  and  the  first  line  composed  of  Colonel 
Hawkins's  brigade,  was  forced  back  under  a  storm  of  fire  in 
front  and  flank.     The  second  line,  Colonel  Harland's  brigade, 
advanced  in  the  midst  of  a  storm  of  shell  and  shrapnel,  to  with- 
in a  short  distance  from  the  railroad,  and  established  pickets. 
The  night  had  now  settled  down,  and  nothing  further  could 
be  done.     But  in  the  short  time  of  Colonel  Harland's  advance, 
the  brigade  had  met  with  a  severe  loss  in  the  death  of  Lieu- 
tenant  Colonel  J.  B.  Curtis  of  the  4th  Rhode  Island,  who  fell, 
while  bravely  cheering  on  his  men.     Lieutenant  Colonel  Curtis 
was  a  most  intrepid  officer  and  had  already  shown  abundant 
signs  of  great  promise.     He  had  distinguished  himself  at  An- 
tietam  and  was    valiantly  discharging  his  duty  when  he  fell. 
His  loss  was  severely  felt  in  the  regiment  to  which  he  belonged 
and  throughout  the  entire  brigade. 

On  the  right  of  our  line,  the  battle  was  indeed  sanguinary. 
The  stone  wall  that  lined  the  telegraph  road  was  like  the  wall 
of  a  fortification.  The  ground  sloped  away  from  it  with  such 
an  inclination  as  to  enable  the  enemy's  artillery  and  musketry 
to  make  it  a  field  of  carnage.  But  to  the  work  of  storming  this 
position,  the  troops  advanced  with  a  determination  that  deserved 
success.  The  enemy's  reports  of  the  battle  acknowledged  that 
the  "Yankees"  fought  that  day  with  a  bravery  that  had  never 
before  been  witnessed  to  an  equal  degree.     General  Sumner's 

29 


22(5  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [DECEMBER, 

Grand  Division  showed  the  highest  soldierly  qualities.  Gene- 
ral Couch's  corps  which  bore  the  brunt  of  the  bloddy  engage- 
ment, behaved  in  a  most  handsome  and  gallant  manner.  The 
troops  moved  out  of  the  city  and  up  the  plank  and  telegraph 
roads.  General  French's  division  was  in  advance,  followed 
promptly  by  the  division  of  General  Hancock.  Both  divisions 
marched  bravely  up  to  the  enemy's  works  and  undertook  to 
carry  them  by  assault.  But  the  stone  wall  proved  too  strong 
for  the  valor  of  our  troops.  Never  did  a  hotter  fire  greet  an 
advancing  party.  The  plain  in  front  of  the  enemy  was  a  sheet 
of  flame.  Our  men  replied  with  spirit.  Our  artillery  was 
taken  up  to  within  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  enemy 
and  was  faithfully  served.  Some  breaches  were  made  in  the 
wall.  But  it  was  all  to  little  purpose.  No  troops  in  the  world 
could  stand  in  the  midst  of  such  destructive  fire.  Our  line 
wavered,  stopped,  recoiled,  fell  back.  It  was  again  formed  and. 
again  it  advanced,  only  to  meet  with  the  same  terrible  resist- 
ance. It  was  now  three  hours  past  noon.  The  morning  had 
passed  away  with  only  the  result  of  General  Franklin's  partial 
success — lost  because  not  followed  up.  General  Sumner,  who 
was  on  this  side  of  the  river  at  the  Lacy  House,  longed  to  cross 
and  lead  his  troops  in  person.  To  have  died  on  that  field  of 
battle  would  have  satisfied  the  brave  old  soldier's  ambition. 
General  Burnside  was  not  willing  to  consent  to  such  needless 
exposure.  But  the  time  had  come  to  support  General  Couch, 
who  was  persistently  carrying  on  the  unequal  conflict.  Gene- 
ral Hooker,  crossing  the  river,  ordered  General  Butterfield  to 
advance  his  corps.  General  Couch's  command  was  formed  in 
front  of  the  enemy,  with  General  Howard's  division  on  the 
right,  General  Hancock's  in  the  centre  and  General  French's 
on  the  left.  Of  General  Butterfield's  corps,  General  Griffin's- 
division  relieved  General  Howard's  ;  General  Humphrey's  re- 
lieved General  Hancock's  ;  General  Sykes's  relieved  General 
French's,  and  held  the  position,  throwing  pickets  out  in  ad- 
vance as  the  day  declined.  General  Whipple's  division  crossed 
tthe  river  early  and  remained  through  the  day  occupying  the. 


1862.]  BATTLE   OF   FREDERICKSBURG.  227 

city  and  guarding  the  bridges.  The  fresh  troops  of  the  fifth 
corps,  under  the  personal  direction  of  General  Hooker,  at- 
tempted the  assault  with  equal  bravery  to  their  predecessors  on 
the  same  field,  but  with  no  better  success.  The  sun  was  sink- 
ing in  the  west.  The  day  was  closing,  and,  as  the  twilight  fell, 
a  few  scattered  shot  proclaimed  that  the  battle  was  drawing  to 
a  close.  The  Ninth  Corps  continued  for  some  time  after  dark 
to  engage  the  enemy.  But  on  the  right  of  the  line  the  deadly 
struggle  ceased,  as  the  shadows  deepened  on  river,  town  and 
plain.  All  became  silent  except  the  groans  of  the  wounded  and 
dying,  and  the  sharp  report  of  the  picket  firing  as  the  extreme 
outposts  came  in  contact  with  each  other.  General  Burnside 
returned  to  his  tent,  disappointed  by  the  result,  but  firmly 
resolved  to  renew  the  battle  on  the  subsequent  day. 

When  the  Commanding  General  left  headquarters  on  the 
morning  of  the  14th,  he  had  made  every  preparation  to  re- 
commence the  action  by  storming  the  heights.  He  knew  in 
such  an  emergency  the  Ninth  Corps  would  not  fail  him,  and 
he  accordingly  selected  the  troops  whom  he  had  before  led  to 
victory,  to  make  the  attack.  He  had  decided  even  to  direct 
the  assault  in  person.  A  column  of  eighteen  regiments  was 
formed,  and  every  thing  was  ready  for  the  movement,  when 
the  three  Grand  Division  Commanders  earnestly  appealed  to 
him  to  abandon  the  attempt.  He  could  not  refuse  to  listen  to 
their  persuasions  and  arguments.  General  Sumner  was  a  most 
brave  and  experienced  soldier.  General  Hooker  was  unsur- 
passed for  daring.  General  Franklin  was  cool  and  steady. 
After  mature  deliberation  and  a  careful  revision  of  the  whole 
matter,  General  Burnside  suffered  himself  to  be  convinced  that 
the  attack  was  not  feasible.  The  orders  were  countermanded, 
and  the  day  passed  without  incident.  There  was  considerable 
spiteful  skirmishing  at  different  points  along  the  lines.  But 
General  Lee  kept  his  troops  under  cover  of  his  intrenchments, 
and  General  Burnside  had  concluded  to  remain  quietly  in  his 
lines.  The  severely  wounded  were  cared  for  and  transported 
across   the   river.     The   slightly   wounded  found  relief  in  the 


228  ARMY    OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [Decembeb, 

regimental. hospitals.  The  15th  passed  in  the  same  manner. 
A  portion  of  the  dead  were  buried.  The  night  came  on  cold 
and  stormy,  and,  concealed  from  the  enemy  by  the  darkness, 
General  Burnside  silently  withdrew  his  army  without  loss 
across  the  Kappahannock.  The  bridges  were  taken  up,  and 
on  the  16th  the  weary  soldiers  found  rest  in  their  former  camps. 
The  casualties  in  this  battle  were  severe,  but  not  disproportion- 
ate to  the  number  of  men  exposed  to  fire.  The  subsequent 
operations  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  were  accompanied  by 
greater  losses,  especially  at  Chancellorsville,  and  in  General 
Grant's  campaign  of  1864.  During  the  movements  of  the  four 
days  which  General  Burnside's  army  passed  in  Fredericksburg, 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-nine  officers  and  men 
were  reported  killed,  nine  thousand  and  sixty  wounded,  and  one 
thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty  missing  and  prisoners.  Of 
the  wounded  but  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty  were 
treated  in  general  hospital,  and  of  those  reported  missing,  a 
large  number  were  stragglers  and  skulkers  who  rejoined  the 
army  soon  after  the  battle.*  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  report- 
ed at  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  nine  killed,  wounded 
and  missing.  It  was  smaller  than  our  own,  as  he  fought  mostly 
behind  his  works  or  in  the  shelter  of  the  woods. 

It  is  not  altogether  useless  now  to  discuss  the  causes  of  this 
unfortunate  disaster.  That  the  battle  was  well  planned,  there 
can  be  no  question.  That  the  plan  was  either  misunderstood, 
or  but  feebly  carried  out  by  those  officers  to  whom  its  execu- 
tion on  the  left  wing  was  entrusted,  is  equally  without  ques- 
tion. General  Burnside  is  a  man  of  quick  perceptions  and  of 
great  activity  of  mind.  It  is  possible  that  he  may  have  sup- 
posed that  his  subordinate  officers  comprehended  the  move- 
ments which  he  designed  as  well  as  he  did  himself,  and  so  he 

*Dr.  Letterman,  Medical  Director  of  the  array,  declares  that  "  while  the 
battle  was  in  progress  and  after  it  was  over,  nearly  one  thousand  men  (no  one 
of  whom  had  a  wound  of  any  consequence,  and  many  were  uninjured)  jumped 
in  the  cars  and.  climbed  on  the  top,  at  the  depot  near  Fredericksburg  and  went 
to  Ai^uiii  Creek,  where  they  knew  no  hospitals  were  established."  Medical 
Recollections,  p.  88. 


1862.]  BATTLE   OF    FREDERICKSBURG.  229 

mav  have  neglected  to  explain  their  character  and  scope  as 
fully  as-  their  importance  demanded.  It  is  characteristic  of 
such  minds  to  project  themselves,  as  it  were,  upon  the  minds 
of  others,  and  to  take  many  things  for  granted  which  require 
an  elaborate  unfolding.  General  Burnside  supposed  that  he 
had  made  it  perfectly  clear  to  General  Franklin,  both  an  con- 
versation and  by  his  orders,  that  the  heights  near  Captain  Ham- 
ilton's were  to  be  occupied,  "  if  possible,"  and  that  that  was  to 
be  done  "  at  once" — early  in  the  morning — by  "  a  well  sup- 
ported" attack,  and  moreover,  that  the  \^hole  command  upon 
the  left  was  to  kept  "  in  readiness  to  move  at  once,  as  soon  as 
the  fog"  should  lift.  Had  General  Franklin  possessed  the 
quickness  of  appreciation  for  which  his  chief  had  generously 
given  him  the  credit,  and  had  he  strongly  resolved  upon  a  suc- 
cessful obedience  to  the  command  which  he  had  received,  the 
result  would  have  been  more  creditable  to  our  arms.  General 
Franklin  must  have  known  that  a  most  important  movement 
'was  expected  of  him.  Else  why  had  a  hundred  thousand  men 
been  sent  across  the  river,  and  a  very  large  portion  of  them 
placed  under  his  command  ?  The  heights  near  Captain  Ham- 
ilton's were  the  key  to  the  enemy's  position.  Had  they  been 
occupied  successfully,  the  rebel  army  would  have  been  cut  in 
twain  and  handsomely  routed.  The  road  to  Richmond  would 
have  been  opened,  for,  at  that  time,  no  intrenchments  and  de- 
fensive works  existed.  General  Meade  had  the  coveted  point 
in  his  possession,  but  lost  it  because  he  was  not  supported, 
while  fifty  thousand  men  were  standing  idle  within  two  miles 
of  him  in  his  rear.  It  was  an  additional  illustration  to  those 
in  which  the  war  of  the  rebellion  was  fruitful,  of  the  loss  of 
great  advantages  through  a  want  of  cooperation  or  a  miscom- 
prehension of  the  importance  of  the  occasion  on  the  part  of 
subordinate  officers. 

General  Meade  was  very  confident  at  the  time  that  victory 
would  have  rested  with  our  arms  had  his  attack  upon  General 
Lee's  right  wing  been  properly  supported.     Not   only  did   he 


230  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Decembeb, 

express  this  opinion  before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of 
the  War,  but  also  before  the  public.  An  address  which  he 
delivered,  on  the  occasion  of  the  presentation  of  a  sword  by  a 
number  of  the  officers  and  men  of  his  division,  a  few  months  after 
the  battle,  was  reported  and  printed  in  the  public  journals  of 
the  time.  In  the  course  of  that  address,  General  Meade  said : 
"  I  speak  of  Fredericksburg,  where  the  Pennsylvania  Eeserve 
corps  crossed  and  led  the  advance,  unaided  and  alone,  up  the 
heights,  and  held  their  position  for  half  an  hour  while  the 
others  crossed.  Hajl  they  been  followed  and  supported  by 
other  troops,  their  courage  that  day  would  have  won  a  vic- 
tory." 

Corroborative  evidence  of  this  fact  is  to  be  found  in  a  declara- 
tion, first  made  in  Daniels's,  and  repeated  in  Cooke's  Life  of 
Stonewall  Jackson — one  of  those  instances  of  unconscious  tes- 
timony which  are  so  valuable  in  determining  questionable 
points.  It  was  at  the  time  of  General  Meade's  withdrawal 
from  his  attack,  when  he  was  pressed  back  by  Jackson's  entire 
corps,  that  Jackson  had  determined  to  assault  in  turn.  "  Those 
who  saw  him  at  that  hour,"  says  the  narrative,  "  will  never 
forget  the  expression  of  intense  but  suppressed  excitement 
which  his  face  displayed.  The  genius  of  battle  seemed  to  have 
gained  possession  of  the  great  leader,  ordinarily  so  calm  ;  and 
his  countenance  glowed  as  from  the  glare  of  a  great  confla- 
gration." Such  excitement  does  not  occur,  in  persons  of  such 
military  ability  as  Jackson  undoubtedly  was,  except  upon  great 
emergencies — in  times  when  great  perils  have  been  escaped,  or 
when  great  enterprises  are  upon  the  eve  of  successful  consum- 
mation, or  when  all  the  resources  of  the  nature  are  required  to 
command  and  change  unfavorable  circumstances  and  give  a 
new  character  to  unfortunate  events.  That  this  was  a  time  of 
exceeding  danger  to  the  enemy's  army,  which  demanded  the 
exercise  of  every  military  resource  to  avert  disaster,  no  one 
can  doubt  who  has  followed  in  thought  the  charge  of  General 
Meade,  and  has  judged  what  the  result  would  probably  have 


1862.]  BATTLE   OF   FREDERICKSBURG.  231 

been  if  General  Franklin  had  followed  up  and  supported  the 
gallant  advance  of  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves  !*       • 

General  Franklin  had  one  of  the  finest  opportunities  ever 
offered  to  a  man  for  gaining  a  world-wide  distinction — and  he 
neglected  to  improve  it.  He  was  unequal  to  the  occasion.  A 
glittering  prize  was  within  his  grasp,  and  he  refused  to  reach 
forth  and  take  it.  Was  he  wilfully  blind,  or  was  he  unable 
to  perceive  its  value  ?  However  it  may  have  been,  it  was  a 
loss  which  could  not  be  remedied.  Such  an  opportunity  comes 
but  seldom  in  a  life-time.  It  did  not  come  again  to  General 
Franklin,  and,  since  that  day,  he  has  quietly  settled  into  ob- 
scurity. A  subsequent  failure  in  Louisiana,  springing  from 
causes  similar  to  that  at  Fredericksburg,  extinguished  his  hopes 
of  military  renown,  and,  having  been  dropped  to  his  regimental 
rank  in  the  regular  army,  as  Colonel  of  the  12th  infantry,  he 
resigned  his  commission  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  re- 
tired into  private  life. 

General  Burnside,  however,  wished  to  spare  his  subordinate 
commanders,  and  was  unwilling  to  adopt  the  cheap  expedient 
of  throwing  upon  them  the  blame  of  the  defeat.  His  language 
concerning  them  has  always  been  particularly  generous.  But 
for  the  honor  of  our  military  service,  the  country  would  have 
been  glad  to  witness  and  record  a  heartier  cooperation  of  many 

*  The  following  conversation,  which  is  authentically  reported  as  having 
taken  place  between  Generals  Meade  and  Lee,  at  the  headquarters  of  the 
latter,  shortly  after  his  surrender,  may  throw  some  light  upon  the  subjects 
discussed  in  the  text : 

General  Meade.  At  Fredericksburg,  General  Lee,  I  pierced  your  line, 
and  if  I  had  been  supported,  as  I  expected  to  be,  I  should  have  defeated  you. 

General  Lee.    Yes,  General;  that  is  true. 

Meade.  After  I  was  driven  back  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  why  did  you  not 
follow  up  your  success?  You  then  had  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at  an  ad- 
vantage at  which  you  never  held  it  before  nor  sirlce. 

Lee.  I  knew  that  at  the  time,  and  issued  order  after  order  to  attack  you; 
but  I  could  not  succeed  in  getting  my  orders  obeyed. 

Meade.  Indeed!  How  was  that?  We  always  thought  that  the  discipline  of 
your  army  was  almost  perfect. 

Lee.  (Bitterly.)  Far  from  it,  General.  That  disposition  which  my  officers 
had  to  think  and  act  for  themselves,  prevented  me  from  reaping  the  benefits  of 
almost  all  my  successes,  and  thwarted  almost  all  my  plans  of  campaign. 


232  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Decembeb, 

of  the  officers  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  with  their  com- 
manding general. 

General  Lee  did  not  receive  a  great*  amount  of  commendation 
for  his  conduct  of  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg.  It  was  thought 
by  the  people  of  his  section  of  the  country  that  he  might  have 
done  more  with  the  means  which  he  possessed  for  the  injury 
of  General  Burnside's  army.  It  certainly  exhibited  no  sur- 
passing skill  to  keep  one's  troops  in  a  defensive  position,  and  to 
be  content  with  simply  resisting  an  attack  from  sheltered  and 
almost  impregnable  works.  Why  did  he  not  come  out  from 
his  defences  on  the  second  day,  and  make  an  assault  upon  our 
forces  in  the  open  field  ?  If  the  victory  had  been  as  decisive 
as  some  had  thought  it,  he  had  every  facility  for  disabling  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  to  such  a  degree  as  virtually  to  destroy 
it  as  an  organized  force.  If  this  army  had  suffered  such  a  dis- 
astrous defeat  as  was  represented,,  why  was  it  allowed  to  re- 
main unmolested  for  two  days  ?  With  a  river  in  its  rear,  it 
could  have  made  but  slight  resistance  to  a  vigorous  assault,  de- 
livered by  an  army  already  flushed  with  a  great  success, 
gained  at  little  cost.  Or,  if  General  Lee  did  not  wish  to  take 
the  risk  of  such  an  attempt,  he  could  at  least  have  opened  his 
batteries  upon  the  force  which  lay  beneath  his  guns,  incapa- 
ble of  further  exertion.  It  is  hinted,  by  Southern  writers,  that 
some  sinister  influence  was  at  work  at  the  enemy's  headquar- 
ters, which  prevented  the  gathering  of  the  spoils  which  were 
within  the  grasp  of  the  rebel  army.  By  what  secret  force  the 
hand  of  General  Lee  was  restrained,  it  is  now  impossible  to 
say.  Whether  there  was  any  such  force  or  not  is  a  matter  of 
question.  The  fact  doubtless  was  that  General  Lee,  a  man  of 
slow  mind,  had  formed  no  plan  of  defence  which  could  be 
made  available  for  attack.  He  was  in  doubt  respecting  Gen- 
eral Burnside's  intentions  for  a  subsequent  movement,  and  he 
hesitated  to  take  the  initiative,  preferring  to  await  the  develop- 
ment of  events.  It  is  possible,  also,  that  General  Lee's  re- 
sources of  ammunition  and  other  supplies  did  not  warrant  him 
in  a  renewal  of  hostilities.     Both  his  generalship  and  his  ma- 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   FREDERICKSBURG.  233 

terial  were  equally  lacking.  Moreover,  it  may  have  been  the 
case — and  this  is  doubtless  the  true  reason  for  General  Lee's 
inaction — that  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  not  suffered  so 
serious  a  disaster  as  the  exaggerated  reports  of  the  battle  at 
first  led  the  country  to  believe.  General  Bumside  would  not 
have  been  sorry  to  have  met  General  Lee  outside  his  intrench- 
ments.  President  Lincoln's  address  to  the  army,  which  was 
published  a  few  days  after  the  battle,  contained  a  truthful 
declaration  when  it  stated,  that  "  the  attempt  was  not  an  error 
nor  the  failure  other  than  an  accident."  The  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  though  it  had  been  somewhat  rudely  shaken,  was 
still  in  effective  condition.  There  was  no  general  demoraliza- 
tion or  despondency,  and  it  was  soon  ready  to  prove,  on  other 
and  more  successful  fields,  that  it  possessed  those  qualities  of 
persistence,  courage  and  self-reliance  which  would,  in  "  the 
fullness  of  time,"  ensure  for  it  a  complete  and  permanent 
triumph  ! 


NOTE   TO    CHAPTER    VIII. 

The  result  of  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  gloomi  ly  affected  the  loyal  peo- 
ple of  the  country.  General  Burnside  had  personally  so  strong  a  hold  upon 
the  public  regard,  as  to  induce  many  persons  to  feel  th  at  he  had  been  led  to 
fi"ht  against  his  better  judgment,  and  that  the  authorities  at  Washington 
were  responsible,  not  only  for  the  battle  itself,  but  also  for  the  failure.  In 
order  to  do  away  with  such  an  impression,  which  was  impairing  the  public 
confidence  in  the  wisdom  of  those  who"  were  conducting  military  affairs  at 
Washington,  General  Burnside,  of  his  own  generous  motion  and  from  the 
magnanimity  of  his  nature,  wrote  to  General  Halleck  the  letter  which  is 
given  below.  It  was  published  throughout  the  country,  and,  had  the  desired 
effect,  of  relieving  our  military  authorities  from  the  distrust  which  had  begun 
to  form.  It  also  had  another  effect  which  was  entirely  unexpected  on  the 
part  of  the  writer.  It  called  forth  the  highest  commendations  both  in  public 
and  private,  and  General  Burnside,  instead  of  losing  by  the  want  of  success 
at  Fredericksburg,  rather  gained  in  public  estimation,  having  by  his  gene- 
rosity increased  the  respect  of  all  whose  respect  was  worth  securing  for  his 
fine  qualities  as  a  man  and  a  soldier : 
30 


234  ARMY   OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [December, 


"  Headquarters  Army  of  the  Potomac,  ' 
Falmouth, 


op  the  Potomac,  > 
i,  Dec.  17th,  1862.      > 


"  To  Major  General  Halleck,  General  in  Chief  of  the   armies  of  the 

United  States,  Washington : 

"  General  :  I  have  the  honor  to  offer  the  following  reasons  for  moving  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  across  the  Rappahannock  sooner  than  was  anticipated 
by  the  President,  Secretary  of  War  and  yourself,  and  for  crossing  at  a  point 
different  from  the  one  indicated  to  you  at  our  last  meeting  at  the  Presi- 
dent's. 

"  During  my  preparations  for  crossing  at  the  place  I  had  first  selected,  I 
discovered  that  the  enemy  had  thrown  a  large  portion  of  his  force  down  the 
river  and  elsewhere,  thus  weakening  his  defences  in  front,  and  also  thought 
I  discovered  that  he  did  not  anticipate  the  crossing  of  our  whole  force  at 
Fredericksburg.  And  I  hoped  by  rapidly  throwing  the  whole  command 
over  at  that  place  to  separate,  by  a  vigorous  attack,  the  forces  of  the  enemy 
on  the  river  below  from  the  forces  behind  and  on  the  crest  in  the  rear  of  the 
town,  in  which  case  we  could  fight  him  with  great  advantage  in  our  favor. 

To  do  this  we  had  to  gain  a  height  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  crest,  which 
height  commanded  a  new  road  lately  made  by  the  enemy  for  the  purpose  of 
more  rapid  communication  along  his  lines,  which  point  gained,  his  positions 
along  the  crest  would  have  been  scarcely  tenable,  and  he  would  have  been 
driven  from  them  easily  by  an  attack  on  his  front  in  connection  with  a 
movement  in  the  rear  of  the  crest. 

How  near  we  came  of  accomplishing  our  object  future  reports  will  show. 
But  for  the  fog  and  unexpected  and  unavoidable  delay  in  building  the 
bridges,  which  gave  the  enemy  twenty-four  hours  more  to  concentrate  his 
forces  in  his  strong  positions,  we  would  almost  certainly  have  succeeded,  in 
which  case  the  battle  would  have  been,  in  my  opinion,  far  more  decisive  than 
if  we  had  crossed  at  the  places  first  selected.  As  it  was,  we  came  very  near 
success. 

"  Failing  to  accomplish  the  main  object,  we  remained  in  order  of  battle 
two  days,  long  enough  to  decide  that  the  enemy  would  not  come  out  of  his 
stronghold  to  fight  us  with  his  infantry,  after  which  we  recrossed  to  this  side 
of  the  river  unmolested  and  without  the  loss  of  men  or  property. 

"  As  the  day  broke,  our  long  lines  of  troops  were  seen  marching  to  their 
different  positions  as  if  going  on  parade.  Not  the  least  demoralization  or 
disorganization  existed. 

"  To  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  who  accomplished  the  feat  of  thus  re- 
crossing  the  river  in  the  face  of  the  enemy, ;1  owe  everything.  For  the  fail- 
ure in  the  attack  I  am  responsible,  as  the  extreme  gallantry,  courage  and 
endurance  shown  by  them  was  never  exceeded,  and  would' have  carried  the 
points  had  it  been  possible. 


1862.]  BATTLE    OF   FREDERICKSBURG.  235 

"  To  the  families  and  friends  of  the  dead  I  can  only  offer  my  heartfelt 
sympathies,  but  for  the  wounded  I  can  offer  my  earnest  prayers  for  their 
comfort  and  final  recovery. 

"  The  fact  that  I  decided  to  move  from  Warrenton  on  to  this  line,  rather 
against  the  opinion  of  the  President,  Secretary  of  War  and  yourself,  and 
that  you  left  the  whole  movement  in  my  hands  without  giving  me  orders, 
makes  me  responsible. 

"  I  will  visit  you  very  scon  and  give  you  more  definite  information,  and 
finally  I  will  send  you  my  detailed  report,  in  which  a  special  acknowledg- 
ment will  be  made  o'f  the  services  of  the  different  grand  divisions,  corps  and 
my  general  and  personal  staff,  of  the  departments  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, to  whom  I  am  much  indebted  for  their  hearty  support  and  co-opera- 
tion. 

"  I  will  add  here  that  the  movement  was  made  earlier  than  you  expected 
and  after  the  President,  Secretary  of  War  and  yourself  requested  me  not  to. 
be  in  baste,  for  the  reason  that  we  were  supplied  much  sooner  by  the  differ- 
ent staff  departments  than  was  anticipated  when  I  last  saw  you. 

"  Our  killed  amount  to  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty-two,  our 
wounded  to  about  nine  thousand,  and  our  prisoners  seven  hundred,  which 
last  have  been  paroled  and  exchanged  for  about  the  same  number  taken  by 
us.  The  wounded  were  all  removed  to  this  side  of  the  river,  and  are  being 
well  cared  for,  and  the  dead  were  all  buried  under  a  flag  of  truce.  The  sur- 
geons report  a  much  larger  proportion  of  slight  wounds  than  usual,  one 
thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty  only  being  treated  in  hospitals. 

"  I  am  glad  to  represent  the  aravy  at  the  present  time  in  good  condition. 

"  Thanking  the  Government  for  that  entire  support  and  confidence  which 
I  have  always  received  from  them,  I  remain,  General, 
"  Very  respectfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  A.  E."  Burnside, 
"  Major  General  Commanding  Army  of  Potomac." 


236  ARMY   OF  THE   POTOMAC.  [December, 


CHAPTEE    IX 

AFTER     FREDERICKSBURG. 

AFTER  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  General  Burnside 
still  believed  that  the  enemy's  position  could  be  carried, 
or,  at  all  events,  successfully  turned.  The  weather  continued 
favorable,  and  the  idea  of  going  into  winter  quarters  was  un- 
welcome to  an  active  mind.  He  immediately  made  prepara- 
tions for  another  movement.  A  plan  proposed  by  General 
Averill  for  making  an  extensive  cavalry  raid  around  the  enemy's 
lines,  destroying  his  communications  and  exciting  alarm  in  the 
rebel  capital  was  approved  with  some  modifications.  The 
army  was  to  assist  in  the  execution  of  the  plan  by  a  demon- 
stration across  the  river,  by  which  it  was  to  withdraw  the 
attention  of  the  enemy  from  General  Averill's  movements  suffi- 
ciently to  give  good  promise  of  success  to  the  operations  in  his 
rear.  General  Averill's  plan  contemplated  a  movement  across 
the  Rappahannock  at  Kelly's  Ford,  and  the  Rapidan  at  Raccoon 
Ford.  Thence,  according  to  order,  the  troops  were  to  make  a 
detour  around  the  enemy's  position,  with  detached  parties  to 
cut  the  telegraph  wires  between  Gorddnsville  and  Culpepper 
Court  House  on  one  side  and  those  between  Louisa  Court 
House  and  Hanover  Junction  upon  the  other  side.  The  main 
body  was  to  "  pass  down  near  Louisa  Court  House  to  Carters- 
ville  or  Goochland  Court  House,  cross  the  James  river,  de- 
stroy one  or  more  locks  on  the  canal  which  runs  along  the  left 
bank  of  the  James  river,  destroy  the  bridges  across  the  Appo- 
mattox river  and  Flat  Creek,  destroy  whatever  bridges  might 
be  found  on  the  Petersburg  and   Lynchburg  railroad,   and  the 


1862.]  AFTER   FREDERICKSBURG.  237 

bridges  across  the  Nottoway  river  and  Stony  Creek  on  the 
Petersburg  and  Weldon  railroad."* 

General  Averill  hoped  to  make  a  junction  with  General  Peck 
at  Suffolk,  who  was  to  be  instructed  to  send  out  strong  recon- 
noitering  parties  to  the  Blackwater  river.  Two  signal  officers 
were  to  accompany  General  Averill,  two  were  to  be  sent  to 
General  Peck.  A  code*of  rocket  signals  had  been  prepared, 
by  which  communications  could  be  interchanged  over  a  distance 
of  twenty  miles.  A  picked  force  was  organized,  consisting  of 
five  hundred  volunteer  and  five  hundred  regular  cavalry,  of 
the  best  men  and  most  trustworthy  officers,  with  four  pieces 
of  light  horse  artillery  and  an  engineer  party  furnished  with 
"  proper  tools  and  all  the  materials  for  destroying  the  bridges 
and  blowing  up  the  stone  structures."  The  party  was  to  go 
without  baggage,  or  wagons,  or  pack  animals,  or  anything  to 
encumber  the  expedition.  A  division  of  infantry  and  an  extra 
brigade  with  a  battery  and  a  few  hundred  additional  cavalry 
were  placed  at  General  AverilPs  disposal  to  go  as  far  as  Morris- 
ville,  to  be  distributed  along  the  upper  fords  of  the  Kappahan- 
nock.  The  enemy's  cavalry  were  at  the  time  attempting  a  raid 
upon  our  own  lines  near  Fairfax  Court  House,  and  it  was 
hoped  that  this  extra  force  might  cut  off  and  capture  the  raid- 
ing party  or  disconcert  its  plan's.  In  the  meanwhile,  General 
Burnside  was  to  engage  the  enemy's  attention  by  making  a 
feint  of  attack  upon  his  lines  in  front  or  flank.  The  officers 
and  men  in  the  cavalry  force  were  eager  to  go  upon  this  expe- 
dition, and  burned  for  the  opportunity  of  giving  some  eclat  to 
their  branch  of  the  service. 

On  the  26th  of  December,  General  Burnside.  ordered  prepa- 
rations for  a  movement  to  be  made,  intending  to  cross  the  river 
at  a  point  called  Hayfield,  some  six  or  seven  miles  below  Fred- 
ericksburg, and  seize  the  railroad  in  the  enemy's  rear.  On  the 
30th  the  cavalry  started,  and  on  the  next  day  the  head  of  the 
column  had  arrived  near  Kelly's  Ford,  intending  to  cross  and  en- 


*Order  to  General  Averill. 


238  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [JANTTAET 

ter  upon  the  real  work  of  the  expedition.  Every  thing  was 
promising  a  great  success.  The  infantry  had  well  performed 
its  work  and  the  additional  cavalry  had  had  a  successful  skir- 
mish with  the  enemy  at  Warrenton.  The  army  was  ready  to 
cooperate. 

A  very  serious  and  unexpected  interruption  took  place, 
which  changed  the  entire  aspect  o/  afjjiirs.  On  the  afternoon 
of  the  30th;  a  despatch  was  received  at  headquarters  from  the 
President,  in  the  following  words  :  "  I  have  good  reason  for 
saying  that  you  must  not  make  a  general  movement  without 
letting  me  know  of  it."  General  Burnside  was  surprised  by 
such  a  communication.  What  could  it  mean  ?  It  was  sup- 
posed that  the  President  had  some  information  which  rendered 
any  movement  impracticable,  and  accordingly  orders  were  sent 
to  General  Averill  to  halt  his  column  and  await  further  direc- 
tions. On  the  night  of  the  31st,  General  Burnside  went  to 
Washington,  and  on  the  following  day  had  several  long  inter- 
views with  the  President,  Mr.  Stanton  and  General  Halleck, 
in  which  were  discussed  the  various  military  questions  which 
the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  had  raised.  To  his  great  aston- 
ishment, he  ascertained  that  two  officers  of  his  army,  having 
solicited  leave  of  absence  for  a  few  days,  ostensibly  on  private 
business,  had  visited  the  President,  and,  by  exaggerated  state- 
ments of  the  condition  of  the  army,  of  the  magnitude  of  the 
preparations,  and  the  feeling  of  the  officers  and  men  towards 
General  Burnside,  had  induced  him  to  believe  that  a  movement 
was  soing  on  which  would  result  in  a  second  battle,  more  dis- 
astrous  than  the  first  had  been.  The  President  was  alarmed, 
and  under  the  influence  of  the  erroneous  information  which 
had  been  given  him,  was  induced  to  send  the  despatch  above 
referred  to.  General  Burnside  returned  to  his  camp  early  in 
the  morning  of  January  2d,  1863.  He  found  that  the  enemy's 
raid  had  been  frustrated  and  had  come  to  nought,  mainly  by 
the  judicious  management  of  General  Stahl,  commanding  at 
Fairfax  Court  House.  But  he  also  found  that  the  plan  of  his 
own  movement   had,   by   some  means,  become   known   to  the 


1863.]  AFTER   FREDERICKSBURG.  239 

enemy.  Nothing  remained  but  to  recall  General  Averill  and 
to  give  up  the  thought  of  active  operations  for  the  time.  The 
troops  were  reestablished  in  camp.  Thus  the  third  attempt  of 
General  Burnside  to  use  his  army  against  the  enemy  was 
brought  to  failure  by  the  intrigue  of  his  subordinate  officers. 
That  the  President  did  not  dismiss  those  officers  on  the  spot, 
was  due  more  to  his  humanity  of  heart  than  to  their  desert ! 

The  incidents  above  related  gave  rise  to  the  tender  of  his 
resignation  on  the  part  of  General  Burnside,  and  to  some  cor- 
respondence between  him  and  the  President  and  General  Hal- 
leck.  On  the  5th,  General  Burnside  wrote  to  Mr.  Lincoln  : 
"  Since  my  return  to  the  army,  I  have  become  more  than  ever 
convinced  that  the  general  officers  of  this  command  are  almost 
unanimously  opposed  to  another  crossing  of  the  river  ;  but  I 
am  still  of  the  opinion  that  the  crossing  should  be  attempted, 
and  I  have  accordingly  issued  orders  to  the  engineers  and  artil- 
lery to  prepare  for  it.  There  is  much  hazard  in  it,  as  there 
always  is  in  the  majority  of  military  movements,  and  I  cannot 
begin  the  movement  without  giving  you  notice  of  it,  particu- 
larly as  I  know  so  little  of  the  effect  that  it  may  have  upon 
other  movements  of  distant  armies. 

"  The  influence  of  your  telegraph  the  other  day  is  still  upon 
me,  and  has  impressed  me  with  the  idea  that  there  are  many 
parts  of  the  problem  which  influence  you  that  are  not  known 
to  me. 

"  In  order  to  relieve  you  from  all  embarrassment  in  my  case, 
I  inclose  with  this  my  resignation  of  my  commission  as  Major 
General  of  Volunteers,  which  you  can  have  accejDted  if  my 
movement  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  views  of  yourself  and 
your  military  advisers. 

"  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  write  to  you  personally  upon 
this  subject,  because  it  was  necessary,  as  I  learn  from  General 
Halleck,  for  you  to  approve  of  my  general  plan,  written  at 
Warrenton,  before  I  could  commence  the  movement,  and  I 
think  it  is  quite  as  necessary  that  you  should  know  of  the  im- 
portant movement  I  am  now  about  to  make  ;  particularly  as  it 


240  AEMT    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [JANUARY, 

will  have  to  be  made  in  opposition  to  the  views  of  nearly  all 
my  general  officers,  and  after  the  receipt  of  a  despatch  from 
you  informing  me  of  the  opinion  of  some  of  them  who  have 
visited  you. 

"  In  conversation  with  you  on  New  Year's  morning,  I  was 
led  to  express  some  opinions  which  I  afterwards  felt  it  my  duty 
to  place  on  paper,  and  to  express  them  verbally  to  the  gentle- 
men of  whom  we  were  speaking,  which  I  did  in  your  presence 
after  handing  you  the  letter. 

"  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  my  resignation  is  not  sent  in  any 
spirit  of  insubordination,  but,  as  I  before  said,  simply  to  relieve 
you  from  any  embarrassment  in  changing  commanders,  where 
lack  of  confidence  may  have  rendered  it  necessary." 

On  the  same  day,  General  Burnside  wrote  to  General  Hal- 
leck  :  "  I  have  decided  to  move  the  army  across  the  river 
again,  and  have  accordingly  given  the  directions  to  the  en- 
gineers and  artillery  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  to 
effect  the  crossing. 

"  Since  I  last  saw  you,  it  has  become  more  apparent  that 
the  movement  must  be  made  almost  entirely  upon  my  own 
responsibility,  so  far  as  this  army  is  concerned,  and  I  do  not 
ask  you  to  assume  any  responsibility  in  reference  to  the  mode 
or  place  of  crossing,  but  it  seems  to  me  that,  in  making  so 
hazardous  a  movement,  I  should  receive  some  general  direc- 
tions from  you  as  to  the  advisability  of  crossing  at  some  point, 
as  you  are  necessarily  well  informed  of  the  effect  at  this  time 
upon  other  parts  of  the  army  of  a  success  or  a  repulse.  You 
Avill  readily  see  that  the  responsibility  of  crossing  without  the 
knowledge  of  this  effect,  and  against  the  opinion  of  nearly  all 
the  general  officers,  involves  a  greater  responsibility  than  an 
officer  situated  as  I  am  ought  to  incur. 

'■  In  view  of  the  President's  telegraph  to  me  the  other  day, 
and  with  its  influence  still  upon  me,  I  have  written  to  him  on 
this  subject,  and  enclosed  to  him  my  resignation,  directed  to 
the  Adjutant  General,  to  be  accepted  in  case  it  is  not  deemed 
advisable  for  me  to  cross  the  river.     I  send  this  resignation, 


1863.]  AFTER   FREDERICKSBURG.  241 

because  I  have  no  other  plan  of  campaign  for  this  winter,  and 
I  am  not  disposed  to  go  into  winter  quarters. 

"  It  may  be  well  to  add,  that  recent  information  goes  to 
show  that  the  enemy's  force  has  not  been  diminished  in  our 
front  to  any  great  extent." 

The  replies  of  the  officials  thus  addressed  sufficiently  indi- 
cate the  wishes  of  the  military  authorities  at  this  time.  On 
the  7th,  General  Halleck  wrote  to  General  Burnside  :  "  Your 
communication  of  the  5th  was  delivered  to  me  by  your  Aide- 
de-Camp  at  twelve  o'clock,  meridian,  to-day. 

"  In  all  my  communications  and  interviews  with  you  since 
you  took  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  I  have  ad- 
vised a  forward  movement  across  the  Rappahannock.  At  our 
interview  at  Warrenton,  I  urged  that  you  should  cross  by  the 
fords  above  Fredericksburg,  rather  than  to  fall  down  to  that 
place  ;  and  when  I  left  you  at  Warrenton,  it  was  understood 
that  at  least  a  considerable  part  of  your  army  would  cross  by 
the  fords,  and  I  so  represented  to  the  President.  It  was  this 
modification  of  the  plan  proposed  by  you  that  I  telegraphed 
you  had  received  his  approval.*  When  the  attempt  at  Fred- 
ericksburg was  abandoned,  I  advised  you  to  renew  the  attempt 
at  some  other  point,  either  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  turn  the 
enemy's  works  or  to  threaten  their  wings  or  communications ; 
in  other  words,  to  keep  the  enemy  occupied  till  a  favorable 
opportunity  offered  to  strike  a  decisive  blow.  I  particularly 
advised  you  to  use  your  cavalry  and  light  artillery  upon  his 
communications,  and  attempt  to  cut  ofifhis  supplies  and  engage 
him  at  an  advantage.  In  all  our  interviews,  I  have  urged  that 
our  first  object  was,  not  Richmond,  but  the  defeat  or  scattering 
of  Lee's  army,  which  threatened  Washington  and  the  line  of 
the  Upper  Potomac.  I  now  recur  to  these  things  simply  to 
remind  you  of  the  general  views  which  I  have  expressed,  and 
which  I  still  hold.  The  circumstances  of  the  case,  however, 
have  somewhat  changed  since  the   early  part  of  November. 

*  This  is  the  first  intimation  of  General  Halleck's  idea  of  a  plan  other  than, 
that  which  has  already  been  given. 
31 


242  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [Januaky, 

The  chances  of  an  extended  line  of  operations  are  now,  on  ac- 
count of  the  advanced  season,  much  less  than  then.  But  the 
chances  are  still  in  our  favor  to  meet  and  defeat  the  enemy  on 
the  Rappahannock,  if  we  can  effect  a  crossing  in  a  position 
where  we  can  meet  the  enemy  on  favorable  or  even  equal  terms. 
I  therefore  still  advise  a  movement  against  him. 

"  The  character  of  that  movement,  however,  must  depend 
upon  circumstances  which  may  change  any  day  and  almost  any 
hour.  If  the  enemy  should  concentrate  his  forces  at  the  place 
you  have  selected  for  a  crossing,  make  it  a  feint,  and  try 
another  place.  Again,  the  circumstances  at  the  time  may  be 
such  as  to  render  an  attempt  to  cross  the  entire  army  not  ad- 
visable. In  that  case,  theory  suggests  that,  while  the  enemy 
concentrates  at  that  point,  advantages  can  be  gained  by  crossing 
smaller  forces  at  other  points,  to  cut  off  his  lines,  destroy  his 
communications,  and  capture  his  rear-guards,  outposts,  &c. 
The  great  object  is  to  occupy  the  enemy,  to  prevent  his  making 
large  detachments  or  distant  raids,  and  to  injure  him  all  you 
can  with  the  least  injury  to  yourself.  If  this  can  be  best  accom- 
plished by  feints  of  a  general  crossing  and  detached  real  cross- 
ings, take  that  course  ;  if  by  an  actual  general  crossing  with 
feints  on  other  points,  adopt  that  course.  There  seems  to  me  to  be 
many  reasons  why  a  crossing  at  some  point  should  be  attempt- 
ed. It  will  not  do  to  keep  your  large  army  inactive.  As  you 
yourself  admit,  it  devolves  on  you  to  decide  upon  the  time, 
place  and  character  of  the  crossing  which  you  may  attempt. 
I  can  only  advise  that  an  attempt  be  made,  and  as  early  as 
possible." 

On  this  the  President  made  the  following  endorsement : 

"January  8,  1863. 
"  I  understand  General  Halleck  has  sent  you  a  letter,  of 
which  this  is  a  copy.  I  approve  this  letter.  I  deplore  the 
want  of  concurrence  with  you  in  opinion  by  your  general  offi- 
cers, but  I  do  not  see  the  remedy.  Be  cautious,  and  do  not 
understand  that  the  government  or  country  is  driving  you;     I 


1863.]  •  AFTER   FREDERICKSBURG.  243 

do  not  yet  see  how  I  could  profit  by  changing  the  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  if  I  did,  I  should  not  wish  to  do 
it  by  accepting  the  resignation  of  your  commission. 

"  A.  Lincoln." 

Fortified  by  these  opinions,  and  deeming  it  best,  with  Gen- 
eral Halleck,  that  both  the  army  and  the  enemy  should  be  oc- 
cupied, General  Burnside  was  encouraged  to  believe  that  some- 
thing might  yet  be  accomplished  which  would  redound  to  the 
honor  of  the  country  and  effect  its  deliverance  from  the  burdens 
which  the  rebellion  had  brought.  He  did  not  yet,  by  any 
means,  despair  of  success.  With  the  hopeful  temperament 
which  enabled  him  to  bear  the  burden  of  repeated  failure  with 
equanimity,  he  was  still  resolute.  In  the  long-continued  good 
weather,  he  saw  reason  for  encouragement,  and  he  determined 
to  make  at  least  one  more  effort  to  accomplish  a  favorable  re- 
sult. His  new  plan  was  to  cross  his  army  either  above  or  be- 
low Fredericksburg,  and  thus  turn  the  position,  draw  General 
Lee  into  the  open  field,  and  then  fight  him  at  better  advantage. 
He  decided  to  cross  at  the  upper  fords,  and  turn  General  Lee's 
left  flank.  Careful  reconnaissances  were  made,  for  many  miles 
up  and  down  the  river,  by  experienced  officers,  and  it  was 
finally  determined  to  make  the  passage  at  Banks's  ford  and 
United  States  ford.  Demonstrations  were  made  at  a  point  be- 
low Fredericksburg,  and  a  portion  of  the  enemy's  forces  were 
drawn  down  towards  Port  Royal.  General  Lee,  suspecting 
some  movement,  also  sent  a  force  up  to  the  United  States  ford, 
leaving  Banks's  ford  comparatively  unguarded.  General 
Burnside  resolved  to  throw  his  entire  army  across  the  river  at 
the  latter  point,  and  with  this  view  the  ponton  trains  were  sent 
up  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  ford,  and  engineer  parties  were 
set  busily  at  work  to  prepare  the  roads.  He  succeeded  in  de- 
ceiving the  enemy  by  his  movements,  and  with  an  advantage 
of  nearly  forty-eight  hours'  start,  he  moved  his  command  to 
the  neighborhood  of  the  upper  fords. 
*The  army  marched  out   of  its  encampments  on  the  morning 


244  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [JANUAEY, 

of  the  20th  of  January.  For  the  first  day  all  went  well.  The 
men  were  in  good  spirits,  the  sun  shone  bright,  and  all  hoped 
for  success.  Towards  evening,  the  omens  were  not  so  favor- 
able. Heavy  clouds  began  to  gather,  and  at  sunset  the  sky 
was  overcast.  The  army  bivouacked  near  Banks's  Ford  with 
the  preparations  for  crossing  nearly  completed.  But  after 
nightfall  a  most  furious  storm  burst  upon  the  scene.  The  wind 
roared  through  the  forests,  along,the  plains,  over  the  hills.  The 
rain  fell  in  torrents.  The  roads  were  soon  reduced  to  a  mass 
of  mud  and  mire.  The  artillery,  the  wagons,  horses  and  mules* 
and  men  were  stopped  as  effectually  although  a  hundred  armies 
blocked  the  way.  Winter,  which  with  extreme  forbearance 
had  held  off  until  that  moment,  now  came  on  with  relentless 
rigor. 

It  was  utterly  impossible  to  fight  the  elements,  and  General 
Burnside  on  the  morning  of  the  22d,  finding  further  efforts 
useless,  ordered  the  army  to  return  to  its  former  position.  The 
march  back  to  Falmouth  was  made  with  extreme  difficulty. 
The  troops,  on  their  arrival,  went  into  Avinter  quarters,  and  all 
idea  of  moving  again  until  the  spring  opened,  was  abandoned. 
General  Burnside,  for  the  purpose  of  freeing  the  Administra- 
tion from  embarrassment,  again  tendered  his  resignation  to  the 
President,  who  again  refused  to  accept  it,  preferring  to  relieve 
him  in  Virginia,  and  to  retain  his  services  for  use  in  other 
quarters.  General  Burnside  was  accordingly  relieved  of  the 
command  on  the  25th  of  January.  General  Hooker  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place.  General  Franklin  was  relieved  by  order 
of  the  Secretary  of  War.  General  Sumner,  who  was  General 
Hooker's  senior  in  rank,  was  relieved  at  hisown  request. 
General  Burnside  immediately  proceeded  to  Providence,  where 
he  was  received  by  his  fellow-citizens  with  every  demonstra- 
tion of  welcome  and  esteem. 

It  was  not  strange  that  General  Burnside  should  have  failed 
in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Any  officer  who- 
should  have  immediately  succeeded  General  McClellan  would 
have  met  with  the  same  fate.     That  army  was  divided  by  jea- 


1863.]]  AFTER   FREDERICKSBURG.  245 

lousies  and  partizanship.  Army  correspondents  spoke  of  these 
strifes  and  bickerings  as  "  notorious  and  scandalous."  No  man 
could  have  secured  a  cordial  cooperation  from  his  subordinate 
officers.  Thus  the  efficiency  of  the.  command  was  seriously 
impaired  by  its  internal  dissensions.  The  feeling  in  favor  of 
General  McClellan  in  some  quarters  was  so  strong  as  to  mani- 
fest itself  on  several  occasions,  not  only  in  expressions  of  dis- 
satisfaction with  his  successor,  but  also  in  assemblages  which 
are  described  as  "  almost  seditious  in  their  character."  In 
other  quarters  there  were  equally  strong  expressions  of  disap- 
proval of  General  McClellan.  These  however  did  not  take  the 
form  of  support  to  General  Burnside,  but  of  laudations  of  this, 
that  or  the  other  general  officer,  who  was  supposed  to  be  the 
best  fitted  to  command  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  feel- 
ing even  proceeded  so  far  as  to  affect  questions  of  comparative- 
ly minor  importance.  On  the  march  from  Fredericksburg 
and  in  camp  at  Falmouth  if  any  delay  occurred  or  supplies  were 
short,  or  the  railroad  was  not  put  in  order  as  soon  as  was  ex- 
pected, the  hardships  were  contrasted  with  the  plenty  enjoyed 
in  Maryland  and  the  blame  laid  at  General  Burnside's  door. 
The  partizans  in  the  army  had  their  friends  and  partizans  at 
home.  General  McClellan  allowed  himself  to  be  identified 
with  a  political  movement,  which  culminated  in  a  public  decla- 
ration, a  year  or  two  later,  that  the  war  was  a  failure.  The 
disloyal  press  of  the  country,  in  its  greed  for  everything  that 
would  make  against  the  Administration  and  the  conduct  of  the 
war,  seized  upon  the  existence  of  this  feeling  in  the  army  as  an 
occasion  for  using  expressions,  which  had  for  their  object  the 
diminution  of  confidence  in  the  commander  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  Every  quarrel  was  nursed,  every  difference  of  opi- 
nion was  exaggerated,  every  conflict  of  feeling  was  fostered. 

It  required  all  General  Grant's  military  genius  and  the 
strength  of  his  silent,  persistent,  inflexible  will,  to  control  the 
discordant  elements,  and  not  until  h<?  exercised  a  personal  su- 
pervision over  the  command  was  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
able  to  perform  its  proper  work.     General  Hooker,  at  Chan- 


246  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [JANUARY, 

cellorsville  suffered  a  most  disastrous  failure.  General  Meade 
came  very  near  it  at  Gettysburg.  General  Burnside  did  as 
much  and  as  well  as  any  man  could  have  done  with  the  mate- 
rials which  he  then  had'  in  hand.  Coming  from  the  warm 
friendships  and  the  cordial  cooperation  of  his  officers  in  North 
Carolina,  the  cold  atmosphere  that  prevailed  in  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  chilled  him.  He  was  unaccustomed  to  such 
want  of  enthusiasm  and  zeal.  But  he  was  resolved  to  do  his 
duty,  however  difficult  that  might  be.  He  failed  to  achieve 
success,  because  those  who  should  have  helped  him  refused  to 
give  the  needful  aid. 

So  keenly  did  General  Burnside  feel  this  lack  of  friendship 
and  cooperation,  and  so  strongly  was  he  impressed  with  the 
thought  of  the  injury  which  it  was  inflicting  upon  the  country 
and  the  cause,  that  he  was  induced  at  one  time  to  resort  to  ex- 
treme measures.  He  even  contemplated  the  necessity  of  dis- 
missing from  the  service  several  officers  high  in  rank,  and 
relieving  others  from  duty  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
An  order  to  that  effect  was  prepared,  signed  and  issued  in  due 
form,  but  as  it  required  the  approval  of  the  President  before  it 
could  be  executed,  General  Burnside  submitted  it  in  person  to 
Mr.  Lincoln.  The  interview  Avas  held  at  Washington  a  day 
or  two  after  the  failure  of  the  last  movement.  The  President 
referred  the  matter  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  the  General  in 
Chief  and  other  military  advisers.  They  decided  against  the 
execution  of  the  order,  and  the  President  accordingly  withheld 
his  approval.  At  the  same  time,  it  was  very  positively  decided 
that  General  Burnside  should  not  be  permitted  to  resign.  He 
was  relieved  from  command,  and  he  spoke  from  his  heart  when 
he  said  to  the  President  at  the  end  of  the  interview  :  "  Neither 
you  nor  General  Hooker  will  be  a  happier  man  than  myself  if 
he  shall  gain  a  victory  on  the  Rappahannock."  After  General 
Burnside  left  the  Army^)f  the  Potomac,  the  order  known  as 
"  Order  No.  8,"  found  its  way  into  the  newspapers  and  became 
the  occasion  of  considerable  comment. 

Other   causes  operated  to  produce  in   the  army  itself  some 


1863.]  AFTER   FREDERICKSBURG.  247 

discontent.  A  long  delay  occurred  in  'the  payment  of  the 
troops.  Many  regiments  had  not  been  paid  for  six  months, 
some  for  eight  months  or  more.  Again  the  disloyal  press  raised 
its  clamor.  The  Administration  was  sending  the  army  to  de- 
struction while  officials  at  Washington  were  plundering  the 
public  treasury.  Such  was  in  substance  the  cry  which  began 
to  be  heard  about  the  camps.  Many  of  the  soldiers  were  even 
credulous  enough  to  believe  it,  and  the  feeling  which  it  engen- 
dered had  a  bad  effect  upon  the  morale  of  the  army.  Even 
mutinous  demonstrations  were  made  and  the  commanding  gene- 
ral was  obliged  to  use  force  to  secure  obedience  and  quiet.  The 
camp  of  a  certain  battery  was  at  one  time  surrounded  by  a  force 
of  infantry  and  artillery  in  hostile  array  before  the  men  would 
consent  to  come  to  terms.  But  there  were  other  instances  of 
discontent  among  the  more  intelligent  and  obedient  soldiers, 
who  could  not  regard  the  situation  with  feelings  of  entire 
equanimity.  They  heard  of  their  families  at  home  as  being  in 
great  destitution,  or  becoming  objects  of  public  charity.  They 
had  no  pay.  They  saw  no  immediate  prospect  of  having  any. 
They  could  not  enter  into  battle  with  the  enthusiasm  which 
men  would  have  who  felt  that  a  grateful  country  was  ever 
ready  to  assist  them,  and  that  the  government  for  which  they 
were  fighting  was  discharging  to  them  and  theirs  its  just  obli- 
gations. 

Another  fruitful  cause  of  failure  was  the  training  which  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  had  had  in  the  method  of  fighting  with 
the  spade  rather  than  with  the  musket.  The  system  which 
the  campaign  on  the  Peninsula  had  established  grew  almost 
into  a  disease.  The  army  could  not  go  forward  with  that  elan 
which  is  a  necessary  requisite  for  victory.  Compare  the  fight- 
ing under  Sheridan  in  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah  with  that 
under  McClellan  on  the  Peninsula !  The  two  systems  are  put 
in  admirable  contrast,  and  the  former  bears  away  the  palm. 
The  difference  was  not  in  the  men  of  the  two  armies,  for  they 
were  the  same  in  both.  It  arose  from  the  training  to  which 
they  had  been  subjected  under  the  two  commanders.     In  sub- 


'248  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [JANUARY, 

sequent  days,  under  a  different  system  of  warfare,  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  showed  that  it  was  not  excelled  by  any  army 
in  the  world.  It  was  always  brave  and  steady,  but  in  its  ear- 
lier days,  it  had  not  that  celerity  of  movement,  that  quick  mo- 
bility, which  is  indispensable  for  effective  operations  and 
decisive  triumphs.  The  officers  and  soldiers,  thus  accustomed 
to  fight  behind  defensive  works,  would  look  upon  themselves 
as  being  led  to  slaughter  when  directed  to  charge  upon  the 
enemy's  fortifications.  In  consequence,  the  advance  would 
naturally  lack  vigor,  and  if  extraordinary  activity  was  required, 
there  would  arise  a  feeling  that  the  army  was  ill  used.  It  is 
true,  that  too  much  impetuosity  is  oftentimes  as  dangerous  as 
too  little.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  never  erred  in  the 
former  particular.  The  proper  combination  of  enthusiasm  with 
steadiness  is  the  requisite  for  genuine  success  in  every  enter- 
prise— most  of  all  in  war.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac — through 
no  fault  indeed  of  the  men  who  composed  it,  for  it  was  made 
up  of  the  finest  material — had  been  trained  more  to  prudence 
than  to  boldness.  The  result  of  its  early  education  was  to  be 
noticed  in  the  long  and  severe  campaigns  to  which  it  was  sub- 
jected. In  judging  of  General  Burnside's  course  and  its  issue 
in  this  period,  thef  above  considerations  are  to  be  taken  into 
the  account. 

On  the  26th  of  January,  General  Burnside  took  leave  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  in  the  following  order  : 

"  By  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  the 
Commanding  General  this  day  transfers  the  command  of  this 
Army  to  Major  General  Joseph  Hooker. 

"  The  short  time  that  he  has  directed  your  movements  has 
not  been  fruitful  of  victory  or  any  considerable  advancement  of 
our  lines,  but  it  has  again  demonstrated  an  amount  of  courage, 
patience  and  endurance  that  under  more  favorable  circum- 
stances would  have  accomplished  great  results ; — continue  to 
exercise  these  virtues,  be  true  in  your  devotion  to  your  coun- 
try and  the  principles  you  have  sworn  to  maintain,  give  to  the 
brave  and  skilful  General  who  has  so  long  been  identified  with 


1863.]  AFTER   FREDERICKSBURG.  249 

your  organization,  and  who  is  now  to  command  you,  your  full 
and  cordial  support  and  cooperation,  and  you  will  deserve 
success. 

"  In  taking  an  affectionate  leave  of  the  entire  Army,  from 
which  he  separates  with  so  much  regret,  he  may  be  pardoned 
if  he  bids  an  especial  farewell  to  his  long  tried  associates  of  the 
Ninth  Corps. 

"  His  prayers  are  that  God  may  be  with  you,  and  grant  you 
continual  success  until  the  rebellion  is  crushed." 

A  few  days  before  the  last  movement  of  the  army  was  made, 
a  change  had  been  effected  in  the  organization  of  the  Ninth 
Corps.  General  John  Sedgwick  had  been  ordered  to  report 
to  General  Sumner,  and,  after  a  temporary  assignment  to  the 
command  of  the  second  corps,  had  been  ordered  to  relieve 
General  Willcoxin  the  command  of  the  Ninth.  General  Will- 
cox  resumed  command  of  the  first  division,  relieving  General 
Burns.  General  Sedgwick  was  well  and  favorably  known 
throughout  the  army.  He  had  acquired  great  renown  in  the 
Peninsula  campaign  and  at  the  battle  of  Antietam,  where  he 
was  twice  severely  wounded.  He  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
and  graduated  at  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  in  the 
class  of  1837,  the  twenty-fourth  in  a  class  of  fifty.  He  was* 
commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  2d  Artillery,  July  1, 
1837,  and  First  Lieutenant,  April  19,  1839.  He  achieved  an 
enviable  fame  in  the  Mexican  war,  winning  a  brevet  Captaincy, 
August  20,  1847,  for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  in  the 
battles  of  Contreras  and  Churubu,sco.  He  was  brevetted  Major, 
September  13,  of  the  same  year,  for  gallant  and  meritorious 
conduct  in  the  battle  of  Chapultepec.  On  the  26th  of  January, 
1849,  he  was  made  a  full  Captain  of  Artillery.  Upon  the  or- 
ganization of  the  1st  United  States  Cavalry,  he  was  appointed 
Major,  dating  March  8,  1855,  and  served  as  such  in  Kansas 
during  1858,  1859,  and  1860.  When  the  rebellion  broke  out, 
he  was  in  command  of  Port  Wise. 

On  the  16th  of  March,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  of  the  2d  United  States  Cavalry,  and  on  the 

32 


250  ARMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [JANUARY, 

25th  of  April,  he  was  promoted  to  Colonel  of  the  4th  United 
States  Cavalry.  On  the  31st  of  August,  he  was  commissioned 
Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers.  Serving  on  the  Peninsula,  he 
won  by  his  valor  a  brevet  as  Brigadier  General  in  the  regular 
army,  dating  May  31,  1862,  and  in  the  following  March,  was 
nominated  and  confirmed  as  Major  General  of  Volunteers,  to 
rank  from  July  4,  1862.  He  was  particularly  noted  for  his  skill 
and  courage  at  Yorktown,  Fair  Oaks,  Savage  Station,  Glen- 
dale  and  Antietam.  He  was  one  of  the  very  best  officers  in 
the  army,  distinguished  for  his  bravery,  modesty,  kindness  of 
heart  and  manly  integrity.  His  officers  and  men  were  very 
strongly  attached  to  him,  and  he  never  disappointed  their  trust 
and  affection.  Had  he  remained  as  General  of  the  Ninth 
Corps,  he  would  doubtless  have  endeared  himself  as  strongly 
to  tbe  soldiers  of  his  new  command,  as  to  those  who  had 
previously  been  under  his  direction.  But  his  stay  with  it 
was  very  brief.  He  only  remained  long  enough  for  the  Corps 
to  claim  his  record  as, a  part  of  its  own  honorable  history.  H« 
was  transferred  to  the  command  of  the  sixth  corps  on  the  oth 
of  February,  1863,  and  Major  General  William  F.  Smith  was 
assigned  to  the  position  which  he  had  vacated. 

General  Smith  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  a  graduate  of 
the  Military  Academy  at  "West  Point  in  1845.  He  was  the 
fourth  in  rank  in  a  class  of  forty-one.  He  was  appointed  a 
brevet  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  corps  of  Topographical  En- 
gineers, July  1,  1845.  He  was  acting  Assistant  Professor  of 
Mathematics  at  West  Point,  from  November  6,  1846,  to  Au- 
gust 21,  1848.  He  was  promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  Jlily 
14,  1849.  In  common  with  other  members  of  the  corps,  he 
served  on  the  plains  and  among  the  mountains  of  the  far  West. 
The  Pacific  Railroad  Survey  found  in  him  one  of  its  efficient 
engineers  and  explorers.  At  the  commencement  of  the  war, 
he  was  a  Captain,  and  at  the  time  of  his  assignment  to  the 
Ninth  Corps,  he  was  on  the  eve  of  his  promotion  to  be  Major. 
He  was  commissioned  Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers,  August 
loth,   1861,  and  Major  General,  March  9,  1864,  served  with 


1862.3  AFTER   FREDERICKSBURG.  251 

some  distinction  on  the  Peninsula,  under  General  McClellan, 
and  at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  where  he  was  in  command  of 
the  sixth  corps.  He  afterwards,  by  direction  of  General  Hooker, 
exchanged*  places  with  General  Sedgwick,  when  the  Ninth 
Corps  was  transferred  to  Newport  News.  He  continued  in  com- 
mand until  March,  1863,  when  he  was  relieved  by  Major  Gen- 
eral John  G.  Parke. 

General  Parke  was  an  old  companion  in  arms  of  the  corps  to 
the  command  of  which  he  was  now  assigned.  He  had  won  great 
distinction  in  North  Carolina,  as  has  already  been  set  forth  in 
these  pages.  A  very  dear  and  trusted  friend  to  General  Burn- 
side,  he  became  chief  of  staff  to  that  officer  both  when  the 
Ninth  Corps,  the  left  wing,  and  the  entire  army  of  the  Poto- 
mac were  placed  in  his  charge.  At  different  periods  in  the 
history  of  the  Corps,  General  Parke  was  in  command,  and  always 
acquitted  himself  in  the  best  and  most  creditable  manner.  He 
is  a  man  of  singular  excellence  of  character,  and  has  ever 
inspired  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  has 
been  associated  to  a  remarkable  degree. 

John  G.  Parke  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1827,  and  grad- 
uated, second  in  his  class  of  forty-three  members,  at  the  Mili- 
tary Academy  at  West  Point,  in  1849.  He  was  appointed 
brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  July  1,  1849,  in  the  corps  of  Topo- 
graphical Engineers.  As  a  member  of  this  corps  he  had  per- 
formed, previous  to  the  rebellion,  distinguished  services  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  particularly  in  the  west  and 
south-west.  He  had  acted  as  Secretary  of  the  Light  House 
Board  and  of  the  River  and  Harbor  Improvement  Board.  He 
had  also  been  active  in  the  operations  upon  the  plains  of  the 
West,  in  New  Mexico,  in  the  Boundary  Commission,  and  the 
Surveys  of  the  routes  of  the  Pacific  Railroad.  In  1851,  he 
prepared  a  map  of  New  Mexico,  which  is  declared  to  have 
been  "  a  careful  compilation  of  all  the  available  and  reliable 
information  in  relation  to  New  Mexico  which  could  be  obtained 
at  that. date  from  trappers  and  hunters,  as  well  as  from  actual 
survey.     It  was  prepared  by  Lieutenant  Parke,  while  in  that 


252  AEMY    OF   THE   POTOMAC.  [JAKTJAKT( 

country,  by  order  of  brevet  Colonel  John  Munroe,  United 
States  Army,  commanding  Ninth  Military  Department."* 
During  the  same  year  he  accompanied  Captain  Sitgreaves  on 
an  exploring  expedition  from  Santa  Fe  to  San  Diego.  In  1853, 
he  assisted  Lieutenant  R.  S.  Williamson  in  a  survey  through 
the  passes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Coast  Range.  The  expe- 
dition occupied  three  months'  time,  and  in  the  course  of  it, 
Lieutenant  Parke  conducted  an  independent  expedition  to  Los 
Angelos,  the  San  Gabriel  and  Santa  Anna  valleys. 

In  1854,  Lieutenant  Parke  made  a  successful  reconnaissance 
for  a  railroad  route  between  Punas  Village  and  El  Paso.  He 
left  San  Diego  on  the  24th  of  January,  with  a  party  of  twenty- 
three  men  and  an  escort  of  twenty-eight  dragoons,  under  Lieu- 
tenant Stoneman,  and  made  a  careful  examination  of  the  coun- 
try, from  the  Gila  Eiver  to  the  Rio  Grande,  travelling  by  way 
of  Tucson,  San  Xavicr,  Rio  San  Pedro,  Chiricahui  Mountains, 
and  Fort  Fillmore.  The  report  of  the  expedition  is  published 
in  the  second  volume  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  Reports,  and  is  a 
very  valuable  statement  respecting  the  characteristics  of  the 
country  through  which  the  journey  was  made,  and  its  facilities 
for  the  construction  of  the  proposed  road.  Advanced  to  his 
next  grade,  July  1,  1850,  Lieutenant  Parke  became,  in  1857, 
the  Astronomer  of  the  Northwest  Boundary  Commission  for  es- 
tablishing tiie  line  between  the  United  States  and  British  Ameri- 
ca. In  all  these  positions,  he  was  distinguished  for  the  patient 
fidelity,  modest,  yet  manly  bearing  and  firmness  in  the  discharge 
of  duty  which  have  characterized  him  in  later  years.  In  his  early 
professional  life,  he  laid  the  foundations  of  a  solid,  substantial 
reputation,  which  has  never  been  weakened,  but  has  continually 
strengthened  in  his  subsequent  career. 

Lieutenant  Parke's  maps,  contained  in  the  eleventh  volume 
of  the  Pacific  Railroad  reports,  are  models  of  accuracy  and 
clearness  of  delineation.  He  had  richly  deserved  his  promotion 
to  a  captaincy  in  his  corps,  which  he  received  on  his  arrival  at 
Washington,  his  commission  dating  September  9,  1861. 
♦Reports  of  Explorations  and  Surveys  of  Pacific  Railroad.    Vol.  xi,,  p.  60. 


GEIVJOUX    G   PARJvE 


1863.]  AFTER   FREDERICKSBURG.  253 

When  General  Burnside  organized  his  expedition,  he  desired 
and  secured  the  valuable  aid  and  companionship  of  his  old 
friend  and  school  fellow.  Captain  Parke  was  commissioned 
Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers  on  the  23d  of  November, 
1861,  and  from  that  time  his  history  was  identified  with  that  of 
the  Ninth  Corps  through  its  entire  term  of  service.  For  his 
services  in  North  Carolina,  he  was  brevetted  Lieutenant  Colo- 
nel in  the  regular  army  and  promoted  to  Major  General  of 
Volunteers,  his  commission  dating  July  18,  1862.*  General 
Parke's  pure,  noble  and  unselfish  disposition  had  made  him 
profoundly  beloved  by  all  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Ninth 
Corps,  and  his  assignment  to  the  command  was  hailed  with 
sentiments  of  undisguised  approbation  and  joy. 

On  the  10th  of  February,  1863,  the  Corps  was  separated 
from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  was  sent  down  to  Newport 
News,  where  it  remained  inactive  for  the  next  six  weeks. 
General  Getty's  division  was  transferred  to  Suffolk,  where 
the  enemy  was  making  a  demonstration  against  our  works 
and  even  for  a  time  threatened  a  siege.  The  two  remaining 
divisions  were  respectively  under  the  command  of  General 
Willcox  and  General  Sturgis.  General  Getty's  division 
did  not  again  join  the  corps  as  a  complete  command.  The 
regiments  composing  it  were  dispersed  among  the  different 
armies  in  that  quarter,  after  the  retirement  of  General  Long- 
street,  and  only  two  of  them — the  4th  Rhode  Island  and  the 
9th  New  Hampshire — returned  to  the  Corps,  when,  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  it  again  formed  an  integral  part  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  f 

The  two  divisions  that  were  left  at  Newport  News  were 
destined  to  more  active  service  on  distant  fields.     The  West 

*General  Parke's  promotion,  with  that  of  Generals  Reno  and  Foster,  was  at 
first  dated  April  2(i,  1862,  but,  by  the  influence  of  General  McClellan  and  the 
western  generals,  other  corps  commanders  were  allowed  to  out-rank  General 
Burnside's  officers  and  the  commissions  of  the  latter  were  re-dated  as  above. 

tThe  detached  regiments  never  forgot  their  alliance  with  the  Ninth  Corps, 
and,  when  transferred  to  other  commands,  their  tents  were  still  inscribed  with 
the  initials  "  9th  A.  C,"  by  which  they  were  proud  to  be  known. 


254  ARMY    OF    THE   POTOMAC.  [Jantjaby, 

and  the  Southwest  were  to  be  the  scenes  of  their  valor  and  en- 
durance. They  were  to  assist  in  opening  the  Mississippi  tp  the 
unobstructed  trade  of  the  country,  and  in  freeing  a  long-suffer- 
ing people  from  the  thraldom  of  a  tyrannical  government. 
The  record  which  the  Corps  had  written  for  itself  in  North 
Carolina,  Maryland  and  Virginia,  was  to  be  illustrated  by  new 
and  even  brighter  deeds.  Under  the  able  direction  of  General 
Parke,  it  had  other  fields  to  conquer  and  other  laurels  to  win. 
The  work  which  it  had  already  performed  was  but  the  promise 
of  more  important  labors,  which  had  for  their  end  faithfully  to 
discharge  its  entire  duty  to  the  Republic.  How  thoroughly  and 
well  the  work  was  done,  it  remains  for  the  subsequent  pages  of 
this  narrative  to  record  ! 

NOTE  TO  THE  ARMY  OF   THE  POTOMAC. 

Mr.  William  Swinton,  a  former  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Times,  has 
recently  published  a  volume  entitled  "  Campaigns  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac." Whatever  worth  the  book  may  have  as  a  record  of  the  career  of 
other  generals,  it  has  very  little  in  reference  to  that  of  General  Burnside. 
Every  man  has  a  right  to  form  and  express  an  opinion  as  to  the  merits  or 
demerits  of  every  public  officer,  so  far  as  his  official  conduct  is  concerned. 
But  in  making  up  the  estimate,  there  must  be  a  strict  accordance  with  facts. 
Mr.  Swinton  scarcely  speaks  of  General  Burnside  and  the  Ninth  Corps  with- 
out a  contemptuous  sneer,  and  applies  derogatory  epithets  to  every  military 
movement  in  which  they  were  engaged.  At  South  Mountain,  "  the  key 
point  of  the  whole  position  was  overlooked  "  by  General  Reno.  At  Antie- 
tam,  "  Burnside's  tentatives  were  frivolous  in  their  character,"  and  "  five 
hours  passed  before  the  work  that,  should  have  been  done  in  the  morning 
was  accomplished."  For  the  determination  of  the  first  point,  the  military 
judgment  of  General  Reno  can  safely  be  put  over  against  that  of  Mr.  Swin- 
ton. For  the  decision  of  the  second,  it  is  but  necessary  to  refer  to  the  re- 
ports of  Generals  Burnside  and  Cox,  and  of  other  officers  who  were  present 
in  the  action  at  the  bridge. 

That  which  Mr.  Swinton  calls  a  task  of  "  comparative  ease  "  was  judged 
to  be  one  of  great  difficulty  by  those  who  were  most  interested  in  perform- 
ing the  work.  Three  hours,  not  five,  were  occupied  in  carrying  the  position 
and  in  those  three  hours  the  Ninth  Corps  lost  some  of  its  best  officers  and 
men.  Every  reader  of  military  history  knows  that  a  narrow  bridge  is  not  an 
easy  position  to  carry  in  the  tacc  of  a  resolute  enemy,  even  though  the  num- 


1863.]  NOTE.  255 

bers  arrayed  for  the  assault.be  greatly  superior  to  the  number  of  tbe  defenders. 
Only  a  few  can  make  tbe  direct  attack  at  any  time.-  Those  who  were  engaged 
in  the  strife  did  not  consider  their  "  tentatives"  frivolous.  There  were  no 
better  troops  in  tbe  Army  of  the  Potomac,  than  tbe  men  of  tbe  Kanawha 
division  and  those  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  who  attempted  and  finally  carried  the 
bridge.  Tbe  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  sustained  by  tbe  Corps  as  com- 
pared with  the  rest  of  the  army  will  show  whether  or  not  every  thing  was 
done  that  could  be  done  at  the  "  Burnside  Bridge  "  and  on  the  heights  and 
plateau  beyond.  The  second  corps  was  more  roughly  handled  by  the  enemy 
than  any  other,  and  lost  a  little  more  than  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  its  num- 
ber ;  the  first  corps  lost  a  little  less  than  sixteen  per  cent.;  the  twelfth  corps 
lost  a  little  more  than  sixteen  per  cent.;  the  Ninth  Corps  lost  a  little  less 
than  sixteen  per  cent.  Of  the  two  corps  that  were  not  actively  engaged 
for  any  length  of  time,  tbe  fifth  lost  less  than  one,  the  sixth  a  little  more  than 
three  per  cent.  The  fight  on  the  right  of  our  line  was  especially  severe  as 
every  one  knows.  Yet  there  is  no  great  disparity  between  the  losses  on  the 
two  wings,  and  if  the  number  of  casualties  affords  any  ground  of  judgment, 
it  must  be  allowed  that  "  frivolous  tentatives  "  are  equal  to  a  combat  which 
was  "  very  murderous  to  each  side  " — or  else  that  there,  were  no  frivolous 
tentatives  at  all,  but  downright  fighting.  Nor  is  it  to  be  supposed  that 
General  Lee,  able  officer, as  be  was,  and  the  object  of  Mr.  Swinton's  admira- 
tion, would  have  left  the  bridge  tupon  bis  right  so  poorly  defended  as  to 
make  General  Burnside's  task  "  one  of  comparative  ease." 

It  is  in  "  the  Campaign  on  the  Rappahannock"  that  Mr.  Swinton  falls 
into  the  grossest  errors  of  statement.  Without  stopping  to  comment  upon 
his  reasoning  from  the  unfounded  premise  of  General  McClellan's  "nianoeu- 
vering  to  fight  a  great  battle,"  it  is  only  necessary  to  examine  the  spirit  and 
declarations  of  the  author  in  his  attempt  to  disparage  General  Burnside.  and 
his  services.  His  statement  of  General  Burnside's  plan  at  the  outset  shows 
that  he  had  no  adequate  knowledge  of  the  subject  upon  which  he  was  writing. 
"In  point  of  fact,"  he  says,  (note  to  page  233,)  "  General  Burnside  had  not 
matured  any  definite  plan  of  action,  for  the  reason,  that  he  hoped  to  be  able 
to  postpone  operations  till  the  spring.  He  did  not  favor  operating  against 
Richmond,  by  the  overland  route,  but  had  his  mind  turned  towards  a  repeti- 
tion of  McClellan's  movement  to  the  Peninsula;  and,  in  determining  to 
march  lo  Fredericksburg,  he  cherished  the  hope  of  being  able  to  winter 
there  upon  an  easy  base  of  supplies,  and  in  the  spring  embarking  his  army 
for  the  James  River."  Every  single  assertion  in  the  above  extract  is  pre- 
cisely the  reverse  of  the  truth.  General  Burnside  had  his  plan  matured,  did 
intend  to  operate  against  Richmond  by  the  overland  route,  did  not  have  his 
mind  turned  to  a  repetition  of  McClellan's  experiment,  did  not  cheri-h  the 
hope  of  going  into  winter  quarters,  was  greatly  averse  to  spending  the  win- 
ter in  inaction,  and  had  no  notion  of  embarking  his  army  for  the  James.     It 


256  ARMY    OF    THE   POTOMAC.  [Januaey, 

could  nob  be  possible  for  an  author  to  put  more  misstatements  into  a  single 
sentence  than  Mr.  Swinton  has  done. 

General  Burnside's  plan  has  been  stated  in  the  text,  to  push  forward  rapid- 
ly beyond  Fredericksburg,  keeping  to  the  eastward,  changing  his  base  of 
supplies  successively  from  Aquia  Creek  to  Port  Royal,  to  White  House  and 
some  point  on  the  James  River  below  Richmond.  ,  His  plan  was  substantially 
the  same  as  that  followed  by  General  Grant  in  the  campaign  of  1864,  except 
that  he  intended  keeping  nearer  to  Chesapeake  Bay,  unless  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity occurred  of  thrusting  in  his  army,  well  supplied  and  ready  for  battle, 
between  General  Lee  and  Richmond.  He  had  the  advantage  of  being  con- 
siderably in  advance  of  General  Lee,  and  of  marching  on  a  shorter  line,  and 
through  a  defenceless  territory.  That  this  was  General  Burnside's  plan  at 
the  time,  I  know  through  my  correspondence  with  him,  and  frequent  and 
familiar  conversations  at  Falmouth  and  elsewhere,  during  the  Winter  of 
186'2-'G3, 

Mr.  Swinton  is  equally  unfortunate  in  his  conception  or  interpretation  of 
the  plan  of  attack  at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  and  accuses  General 
Burnside  of  an  afterthought  in  his  declaration  that  the  main  attack  was  to  be 
made  by  the  left  wing  of  our  army.  That  certainly  was  the  plan  of  battle 
if  General  Burnside  is  to  be  believed  ;  and  those  who  know  him  best  will  not 
judge  lightly  of  his  veracity.  General  Franklin  was  to  attack  with  one  divi- 
sion, but  he  was  to  keep  it  well  supported  and  have  his  entire  command  in 
readiness  for  a  rapid  movement  along  the  old  Richmond  road.  General 
Sumner  was  to  form  his  division  for  attack  but  was  to  await  directions.  The 
subject  has  been  fully  stated  in  the  text,  and  when  Mr.  Swinton  tries  to  make 
it  appear  that  General  "  Franklin  was  directed  to  make  a  partial  operation 
of  the  nature  of  a  reconnaissance  "  he  is  doing  himself  and.  his  theme  injus- 
tice. Nor  is  he  more  happy  in  his  apparent  attempt  to  disparage  the  fight- 
ing of  our  soldiers,  when  he  tries  to  produce  the  impression,  that  but  a  small 
force  was  in  the  front  of  General  Sumner's  command.  Two  brigades  he  al- 
lows as  the  entire  force,  used  by  General  Longstreet,  to  repel  the  attacks 
made  by  our  right  wing  upon  "  the  stone  wall  and  rifle  trenches  at  the  foot 
of  Marye's  heights  " — the  chief  scene  of  fighting  in  that  quarter.  In  a  note 
on  the  250th  page,  he  quotes  with  evident  satisfaction  an  extract  from  Gene- 
ral MeLaw's  report  of  the  battle,  which  states  that  seventeen  hundred  men 
were  all  that  were  necessary  "  to  repulse  the  numerous  assaults  made  by  the 
Union  columns."  Yet  on  the  253d  page,  he  quotes  another  note  to  the  pur- 
port, that  General  Longstreet's  loss  in  fighting  General  Sumner's  attack  was 
"  three  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifteen  " — or  about  twice  as  many  as  his 
subordinate  found  necessary  to  repulse  the  Union  assaults.  It  is  curious  to 
notice  how  easily  a  man  falls  into  error,  when  once  he  is  predetermined  to 
make  the  event  of  which  he  speaks  wear  the  worst  possible  appearance. 
With  such  premises,  of  what  value  is  the  reasoning   deduced  from  them  ? 


1863.]  NOTE.  257 

Surely  it  may  be  said  of  Mr.  Swinton  somewhat  as  Sheridan  said  in  his  reply 
to  Dundas,  that  he  is  indebted  to  his  prejudices  for  his  arguments  and  "  to  his 
imagination  for  his  facts." 

The  animus  of  the  book,  to  which  I  have  thus  called  the  reader's  attention, 
so  far  as  General  Burnside  is  concerned,  is  one  of  contempt  or  malevolence — 
sometimes  expressed  directly,  sometimes  by  innuendo.  The  cause  of  the 
author's  spitefulness  dates  back  to  the  time  when,  he  was  a  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Times.  In  the  issue  of  that  paper  of  January  16,  1863,  he 
characterized  General  Burnside's  letter  of  December  1 7th  to  General  Hal- 
leck  as  one  "  in  which  there  is  nothing  his  but  the  signature,  and  to  which 
his  good  nature,  not  his  conscience,  consented."  Mr.  Swinton  being  ques- 
tioned as  to  his  authority  for  such  an  extraordinary  declaration,  gave,  after 
some  delay  and  with  great  reluctance,  the  name  of  General  Sedgwick.  But 
General  Sedgwick,  on  being  confronted  with  the  correspondent  at  General 
Burnside's  headquarters,  declared  the  statement  utterly  unfounded.  A  friend 
of  Mr.  Swinton  requested  that  the  matter  might  be  overlooked,  and  General 
Burnside  was  content,  after  such  an  exposure,  to  let  the  crestfallen  writer 
go  with  an  admonition  to  refrain  from  such  unworthy  practices  in  the  future. 
Since  that  time,  Mr.  Swinton's  animosity  against  General  Burnside  has  been 
so  strikingly  marked  through  the  public  press,  and  now  through  his  "  Critical 
History,"  as  to  give  but  little  value  to  his  opinions. 


33 


THE  DELIVEKANCE 


EAST     TENNESSEE. 


THE  DELIVERANCE 


EAST     TENNESSEE 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE    DEPARTMENT    OF   THE   OHIO. 

AFTER  an  interval  of  rest  for  a  few  weeks  in  Providence, 
General  Burnside  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
Department  of  the  Ohio,  which  comprised  the  States  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Eastern  Kentucky,  with  the 
prospective  addition  of  East  Tennessee.  Headquarters  were 
at  Cincinnati.  General  Burnside  was  assigned  on  the  16th  of 
March,  1863,  reached  Cincinnati  on  the  23d,  and  on  the  25th,  as- 
sumed command,*  relieving  Major  General  Horatio  G.  Wright. 
Affairs  were  not  in  a  particularly  nourishing  condition  in  that 
•quarter.  Rebel  raids  were  devastating  portions  of  the  State 
of  Kentucky,    and  causing    considerable    alarm    and   anxiety 

*  To  the  officers  Of  the  commissioned  staff  of  the  corps,  there  were  several 
additions  at  the  time  that  General  Burnside  was  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  Department  of  the  Ohio.  Among  these  are  especially  to  be  mentioned 
Mr.  Daniel  R.  Larned,  appointed  March  13th,  1863,  Assistant  Adjutant  General, 
with  the  rank  of  Captain,  and  Mr.  "W.  Harrison  French,  who  was  appointed 
Commissary  of  Subsistence,  with  the  rank  of  Captain,  February  19th,  1863. 
Captain  Earned  had  been  General  Burnside's  private  secretary  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  North  Carolina  expedition,  and  continued  to  act  in  that  capacity 
until  the  end  of  the  war,  when  he  retired  with  the  brevet  of  Lieutenant  Colonel. 
Captain  French  had  been  assistant  secretary. 


262  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST    TENNESSEE.  [Mabch, 

among  the  inhabitants.  Considerable  disaffection,  amounting 
in  some  cases  to  actual  disloyalty,  existed  in  certain  parts  of 
Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Large  numbers  of  rebel  prisoners 
were  confined  in  camps  and  barracks  on  Johnson's  Island,  and 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  it 
was  known  that  rebel  sympathizers,  outside  the  prison  walls, 
were  ready  to  afford  aid  and  comfort  to  the  prisoners.  The 
Governors  of  the  States  were  disposed  to  yield  all  needed  as- 
sistance to  the  military  authorities,  but,  as  martial  law  had  not 
been  proclaimed  in  the  Department,  except  in  Kentucky,  free- 
dom of  speech  and  of  the  press  was  exercised  to  an  extent  but 
a  little  removed  from  license.  Such  extreme  liberty,  in  case 
of  a  civil  war,  becomes  absolutely  dangerous  and  injurious  to 
the  welfare  of  the  country.  The  management  of  affairs  re- 
quired the  utmost  tact  and  ability  on  the  part  of  the  officer 
commanding  the  Department. 

General  Burnside,  immediately  upon  his  appointment,  saw 
the  necessity  of  a  larger  military  force  than  was  then  in  the 
Department,  for  the  purpose  of  restoring  the  peace  of  Ken- 
tucky, of  impressing  the  disaffected  among  the  people  of  Ohio, 
Indiana  and  Illinois  with  a  wholesome  sense  of  the  presence  of 
military  authority,  and  of  accomplishing  the  deliverance  of  East 
Tennessee.  He  requested  and  obtained  permission  for  the 
transfer  of  the  two  divisions  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  then  in  camp 
at  Newport  News,  under  Generals  Willcox  and  Sturgis,  to  his 
new  command.  Upon  the  departure  of  the  corps,  General 
Sturgis  was  relieved  of  his  command,  and  General  Kobert  B. 
Potter  assigned  to  the  position.*  This  reenforcement  was  ren- 
dered especially  necessary  at  that  time,  as  the  rebel  General 
Pegram,  with  a  force  of  three  thousand  men,  was  devastating 
central  Kentucky  almost  without  opposition,  had  plundered 
much  from  the  residents  along  his  line  of  march,  had  captured 
and  occupied  several  towns,  had  penetrated  as  far  as  Danville, 
and  was  even  threatening  Louisville  with  capture,  and  Indiana 


*  Colonel  Potter,  of  tlie  51st  New  York,  was  promoted  to  Brigadier  General 
on  the  13th  of  March,  13iw. 


1863.]  DEPARTMENT   OF   THE    OHIO.  26p- 


o 


with  invasion.  General  Burnside,  upon  his  arrival  at  the 
scene  of  operations,  immediately  took  measures  to  check  the 
advance  of  the  bold  partisan.  The  two  divisions  of  the  Ninth 
Corps  were  hurried  westward,  and  the  small  number  of  troops 
then  scattered  through  Central  Kentucky  were  hastily  concen- 
trated at  Lebanon  and  Hickman's  Bridge,  under  command  of 
Generals  Gillmore  and  Boyle.  General  Burnside  proceeded  to 
Louisville  and  ordered  a  simultaneous  attack  to  be  made  on 
Pegram  at  Danville,  on  the  28th.  The  order  was  quickly 
obeyed,  the  enemy  retreating  southward  as  our  force  advanced. 
On  the  30th,  General  Gillmore,  with  his  cavalry,  overtook  the 
enemy  at  Somerset,  and,  after  a  smart  engagement  of  five 
hours'  duration,  completely  routed  him,  and  drove  him  in  con- 
fusion across  the  Cumberland  river,  with  a  loss  of  five  hundred 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners.  Our  troops  also  recaptured  a 
large  portion  of  the  plunder  that  had  been  seized. 

Early  in  April,  the  two  divisions  of  the  Ninth  Corps  began 
to  arrive  in  the  Department.  Their  presence  gave  assurance 
of  security  to  the  harassed  people  of  Kentucky.  But  it  is 
simply  declaring  a  matter  of  familiar  knowledge  to  state,  that 
the  New  England  troops  in  the  Ninth  Corps,  when  they  first 
entered  Kentucky,  were  not  cordially  received.  A  strong 
prejudice  against  "  the  Yankees" — particularly  the  Massachu- 
setts Yankees — existed  among  the  people.  Some  of  the  regi- 
ments were  even  treated  with  open  insult  or  half-concealed  dis- 
like. Kentucky  did  not  want  these  abolitionists  among  her 
communities,  said  the  people.  But  no  long  time  was  required 
to  dispossess  the  inhabitants  of  their  unjust  and  unworthy 
prejudices.  In  cases  where  the  regiments  of  the  corps  were 
engaged  as  garrisons  in  the  towns,  the  troops,  by  their  thor- 
ough discipline,  the  intelligence  and  gentlemanly  demeanor  of 
their  officers,  and  their  general  good  conduct,  fairly  conquered 
the  popular  feeling  and  turned  its  direction.  They  won  their 
way  into  the  respect  and  even  affection  of  those  who  were  at 
first  disposed  to  regard  them  with  complete  aversion.  One 
noteworthy  instance  is  given  in  the  case  of  the  21st  Massachu- 


264  DELIVERANCE   OE   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [Apbil, 

setts.  It  was  sent  down  to  Mount  Sterling,  on  the  5th  of 
April,  to  hold  the  place  and,  with  other  troops,  to  secure  the 
neighborhood  against  the  occurrence  of  rebel  raids,  to  which 
that  sectipn  was  peculiarly  open.  The  regiment  was  very 
coldly  received.  It  remained  at  this  post  for  three  months, 
and  during  that  brief  period,  coldness  was  changed  to  cordiality, 
contempt  to  unwonted  esteem,  aversion  to  hospitality  and  kind- 
ness. When  the  regiment  was  to  be  ordered  away,  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  town  actually  petitioned  the  commanding  general 
to  allow  the  troops  to  remain  for  their  protection.  Two  loyal 
cavalry  regiments  raised  in  the  vicinity  had  been  stationed  near 
the  town,  and  were  still  to  hold  the  position.  But  the  citizens 
were  even  more  ready  to  trust  themselves  to  the  care  of  the  Yan- 
kees than  to  the  keeping  of  their  own  neighbors.  The  same  re- 
sult ensued  wherever  the  Eastern  troops  were  stationed,  and 
Kentucky  thus  learned  to  respect  New  England. 

With  the  force  which  was  now  at  his  disposal,  General  Burn- 
side  could  more  effectually  provide  for  the  protection  of  the 
people  entrusted  to  his  care.  His  line  of  defence  was  necessa- 
rily long,  and  had  its  weak  points.  But  his  officers  were  vigi- 
lant and  his  men  were  trustworthy.  His  line  extended  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy  river  to  that  of  the  Cumberland, 
running-  through  Louisa  Court  House,  Irvine,  Somerset,  Frank- 
lin  and  Hopkinsville.  The  State  of  Kentucky  was  at  the  time 
divided  into  three  military  districts.  The  Western  was  under 
the  command  of  Brigadier  General  J.  T.  Boyle,  with  headquar- 
ters at  Louisville :  the  Central  under  Brigadier  General  Q.  A. 
Gillmore,  with  headquarters  at  Lexington  ;  the  Eastern  under 
Brigadier  General  Julius  White,  with  headquarters  at  Louisa. 
Immediately  upbn  the  arrival  of  the  troops  of  the  Ninth  Corps, 
they  were  ordered  to  the  front.  General  Gillmore,  who  had 
applied  for  leave  of  absence  after  his  defeat  of  Pegram,  was  re- 
lieved by  General  Willcox,  and  did  not  return  to  the  Depart- 
ment. The  troops  were  posted  at  London,  Somerset,  Liberty, 
Glasgow,  Louisa,  and  near  Tompkinsville.  Fortifications  were 
thrown  up  along  the  lines  of  railroads  leading  to  the  extreme 


3863.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   THE   OHIO.  265 

front  in  Western  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  then  held  by  Ma- 
jor General  Rosecrans,  the  protection  of  whose  lines  was  a  part 
of'Gene'ral  Burnside's  duty.  Every  precaution  was  taken  to 
prevent  the  incursions  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  and  guerillas. 
Our  force  was  not  large,  and  occasionally  predatory  bands 
would  be  able  to  evade  the  guards.  But  their  success  was 
short-lived,  and  gave  but  little  encouragement  for  a  multipli- 
cation of  such  practices.  Still,  for  the  purposes  of  his  Depart- 
ment, General  Burnside  felt  that  his  present  number  of  troops 
was  inadequate.  Congress  had  already  authorized  the  organi- 
zation of  a  force  of  twenty  thousand  men  in  Kentucky,  and 
to  this  duty  the  commanding  general  gave  his  immediate 
attention.  g 

The  civil  affairs  of  the  Department  also  began  to  assume 
prominence.  Domestic  enemies  were  busy  in  attempting  to 
thwart  the  plans  of  the  government,  to  prevent  enlistments  of 
troops,  and  to  give  aid  and  comfort  to  the  public  enemy.  The 
character  of  the  general  in  command  of  the  Department  be- 
came an  object  for  the  shafts  of  slander  and  malice.  For  the 
latter,  General  Burnside  did  not  care.  But  he  could  not  and 
would  not  endure  the  former.  He  judged  that  the  exigencies 
of  the  service  demanded  some  special  attention,  and  called  for 
an  act  of  unusal  stringency.  Accordingly,  on  the  13th  of 
April,  he  issued  a  general  order,  which  became,  among  the 
people  of  that  section,  a  topic  of  earnest  and,  in  some  cases,  ac- 
rimonious discussion.  This  document  is  known  as  "  General 
Order  No.  38,"  and  its  importance  claims  for  it  a  place  in  these 
pages.  It  was  dated  at  Cincinnati,  on  the  13th  of  April,  and 
was  as  follows  : 

"  The  commanding  general  publishes  for  the  information  of 
all  concerned,  that  hereafter  all  persons  found  within  our  lines 
who  commit  acts  for  the  benefit  of  the  enemies  of  our  country, 
will  be  tried  as  spies  or  traitors,  and,  if  convicted,  will  suffer 
death.     This  order  includes  the  following  classes  of  persons  : 

"  Carriers  of  secret  mails. 

"  Writers  of  letters  sent  by  secret  mails. 

34 


%Q  DELIVEKANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [April, 

"  Secret  recruiting  officers  within  the  lines. 

"  Persons  who  have  entered  into  an  agreement  to  pass  our 
lines  for  the  purpose  of  joining  the  enemy. 

"  Persons  found  concealed  within  our  lines  belonging  to  the 
service  of  the  enemy,  and  in  fact  all  persons  found  improperly 
within  our  lines,  who  could  give  private  information  to  the 
enemy. 

"  All  persons  within  our  lines  who  harbor,  protect,  conceal, 
feed,  clothe,  or  in  any  way  aid  the  enemies  of  our  country. 

"  The  habit  of  declaring  sympathies  for  the  enemy  will  not 
be  allowed  in  this  Department.  Persons  committing  such  of- 
fences will  be  at  once  arrested,  with  a  view  to  being  tried  as 
above  stated,  or  .sent  beyond  our  lines  into  the  lines  of  their 
friends. 

"  It  must  be  distinctly  understood,  that  treason,  expressed  or 
implied,  will  not  be  tolerated  in  this  Department. 

"  All  officers  and  soldiers  are  strictly  charged  with  the  exe- 
cution of  this  order." 

The  effect  of  this  order  upon  the  affairs  of  the  Department 
was  marked  and  decisive.  In  Kentucky,  it  was  especially  ben- 
eficial. The  emissaries  of  the  rebel  government  had  heretofore 
practised  their  schemes  with  comparative  impunity.  But  now 
they  felt  upon  them  the  pressure  of  a  strong  hand.  The  civil 
authorities  of  the  State  were  encouraged  in  their  endeavors  to 
preserve  the  allegiance  of  the  citizens  unimpaired.  The  dis- 
loyal elements  were  suppressed,  and  a  condition  of  tranquillity 
not  previously  experienced  was  the  result.  In  the  States  north 
of  the  Ohio,  a  feeling  of  stronger  opposition  prevailed  in  some 
quarters.  Many  persons  were  of  the  opinion  that  their  rights 
of  free  speech  were  violated,  and  they  gave  vent  to  their  griev- 
ances through  the  public  press,  and  on  the  rostrum.  But  Gen- 
eral Burnside  steadily  pursued  his  course,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  an  occasion  was  presented  which  gave  all  parties  to  un- 
derstand that  the  authority  of  the  government  was  supreme. 

Another  important  order,  issued  about  this  time,  had  refer- 
ence to  the  vexed  question  of  slavery;     The  citizens  of  Ken- 


1663.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   THE    OHIO.  267 

tucky  had  experienced  some  trouble  in  relation  to  the  escape  of 
their  slaves,  who  had  not  been  included  in  the  Proclamation  of 
Emancipation.  They  had  not  been  tenacious  in  their  observ- 
ance of  the  rights  of  slaves  from  other  States  who  had  been 
made  free.  It  was  found  necessary  to  remind  all  such  persons, 
that  the  laws  of  Kentucky  and  of  the  United  States  were  still 
in  force  and  must  be  obeyed.  An  order,  issued  April  28th, 
contained  the  following  provisions  : 

"  I.  In  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  Proclamation  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  dated  January  1, 1863,  it  is  or- 
dered, that  all  persons,  belonging  to  or  following  the  Army  in 
this  Department,  are  forbidden  to  interfere  with  or  impede  the 
operation  of  any  civil  process  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  having 
in  view  the  recovery  of  slaves  of  citizens  of  the  State,  and  they* 
are  likewise  forbidden'  to  aid  or  abet  in  their  escape  from  their 
homes,  or  to  employ  such  persons  against  the  consent  of  their 
owners,  except  in  cases  Avhere  military  necessity  requires  their 
impressment,  which  impressment  must  be  made  in  accordance 
with  regulations  governing  such  cases. 

"  II.  All  slaves  made  free  by  the  Avar  measures  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  by  Congress  or  by  capture  during 
the  war,  are  entitled  to  their  freedom,  and  no  one  in  this  Depart- 
ment has  a  right  to  interfere  with  that  freedom.  Any  sale  of 
such  persons  in  this  Department  is  void.  The  rights  of  citizens 
must  be  respected  by  the  army,  and  the  war  measures  of  the 
Government  must  be  sustained." 

This  order  had,  likewise,  a  tranquillizing  effect,  and  resulted 
in  great  p-ood  to  all  concerned.  The  soldiers  learned  that  mili- 
tary  authority  was  not  always  the  sovereign  power.  The  citi- 
zens of  Kentucky  understood,  that,  if  they  claimed  the  protec- 
tion of  the  law,  they  were  not  to  make  the  law  an  instrument 
of  oppression.  Demanding  their  pound  of  flesh,  they  yet  could 
take  no  drop  of  blood  with  it.  The  slaves  were  not  to  be 
mocked  with  delusive  hopes  of  freedom,  and  those  already 
emancipated  were  assured  of  the  amplest  protection  and 
security. 


268  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [Apkil, 

Foremost  among  the  opponents  of  the  government  in  the 
State  of  Ohio  was  Mr.  -Clement  L.  Vallandigham,  recently  a 
member  of  Congress  and  a  politician  of  some  note  belonging  to 
the  Democratic  party.  On  more  than  one  occasion,  he  had 
seen  fit  to  declaim  with  great  vehemence  against  the  Govern- 
ment,  and  boldly  defied  its  power.  He  delivered  an  address 
at  Mount  Vernon,  Knox  County,  on  Or  about  the  1st  of  May, 
in  which  he  was  more  than  usually  violent.  The  President, 
the  army,  General  Burnside  and  the  orders  of  the  Department 
received  a  large  share  of  his  vituperations.  His  language  was 
such  as  to  induce  General  Burnside  to  adopt  measures  for  his 
trial  and  punishment.  Orders  were  accordingly  issued,  on  the 
4th  of  May,  to  Captain  Charles  G.  Hutton,  Aide  de  Camp,  to 
proceed  to  Dayton,  Mr.  Vallandigham  s  place  of  residence,  ar- 
rest the  offender,  and  bring  him  to  Cincinnati  for  trial.  Captain 
Hutton  went  immediately  to  Dayton  with  a  sufficient  force  to 
prevent  resistance,  and,  on  the  night  of  the  4th,  succeeded  in 
taking  Mr.  Vallandigham  without  any  disturbance,  and  returned 
to  Cincinnati  with  his  prisoner.  On  the  5th  a  charge  was  pre- 
ferred, in  which  it  was  specified,  that  Mr.  Vallandigham  had 
declared  the  war  to  be  u  wicked,  cruel  and  unnecessary,"  "  for 
the  purpose  of  crushing  out  liberty  and  erecting  a  despotism," 
"for  the  freedom,  of  the  blacks  and  the  enslavement  of  the 
whites  ;"'  had  stated  that  "  if  the  Administration  had  so  wished, 
the  war  could  have  been  honorably  terminated  months  ago;" 
had  characterized  General  Orders  No.  38  as  a  "  base  usurpa- 
tion of  arbitrary  authority  ;"  had  invited  his  hearers  "  to  resist 
the  same  by  saying,  '  the  sooner  the  people  inform  the  miniona 
of  usurped  power,  that  they  will  not  submit  to  such  restrictions 
upon  their  liberties,  the  better';'  "  and  had  affirmed  that  he 
"  was  at  all  times  and  upon  all  occasions,  resolved  to  do  what 
he  could  to  defeat  the  attempts  now  being  made  to  build  up  a 
monarchy  upon  the  ruins  of  our  free  government."  These 
words  were  considered  as  tending  to  "  aid,  comfort  and  encou- 
rage those  in  arms  against  the  Government,"  and  to  "  induce 
in  his  hearers  a  distrust   of  their  own  government,   sympathy 


1863.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   THE    OHIO.  269 

for  those  in  arms  against  it,  and  a  disposition  to  resist  the  laws 
of  the  land  " — as  Mr.  Vallandigham  "well  knew."  The  exact 
words  of  the  charge  upon  which  the  prisoner  was  tried  were  as 
follows :  "  Publicly  expressing,  in  violation  of  General  Orders, 
No.  38,  from  Headquarters  Department  of  the  Ohio,  sympathy 
for  those  in  arms  against  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
and  declaring  disloyal  sentiments  and  opinions,  with  the  object 
and  purpose  of  weakening  the  power  of  the  Government  in  its 
efforts  to  suppress  an  unlawful  rebellion." 

A  Military  Commission  was  immediately  convened  for  trial. 
Brigadier  General  Robert  B.  Potter  was  assigned  as  President 
and  the  following  gentlemen  constituted  the  court :  Colonel 
John  F.  De  Courcy,  16th  Ohio  infantry;  Lieutenant  Colonel 
E.  R.  Goodrich,  Commissary  of  Subsistence  ;  Major  J  M. 
Brown,  10th  Kentucky  Cavalry ;  Major  J  L..  Van  Buren, 
Aide  de  Camp  ;  Major  A.  H.  Pitch,  115th  Ohio  infantry  ;  Cap- 
tain P  M.  Lydig,  Aide  de  Camp.  Captain  J  M.  Cutts,  11th 
United  States  infantry,  was  appointed  Judge  Advocate.  The 
trial  at  once  proceeded.  It  continued  through  the  5th  and  6th 
days  of  May.  Witnesses  were  examined  on  both  sides.  Mr. 
Vallandigham  protested  against  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Commis- 
sion, declaring  that,  as  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  not  in 
either  the  land  or  naval  forces  of  the  United  States,  nor  in  the 
militia  in  the  actual  service  of  the  United  States,  he  was  not 
triable  for  any  such  cause  as  the  charge  alleged.  He  also  de- 
clared that  he  was  subject  to  arrest  only  by  due  process  of  law, 
and  demanded  to  be  tried,  if  tried  at  all,  by  a  civil  court  ac- 
cording to  the  ordinary  methods  adopted  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 
The  case  was  submitted  without  argument.  The  Commission 
examined  the  prisoner's  protest,  refused  to  admit  its  validity, 
found  Mr.  Vallandigham  guilty  of  the  charge,  and  the  chief 
portion  of  the  specification,  and  sentenced  him  "to  be  placed 
in  close  confinement  in  some  fortress  of  the  United  States  to  be 
designated  by  the  commanding  officer  of  this  Department,  there 
to  be  left  during  the  continuance  of  the  war."  General  Burn- 
side,  on  the  16th  of  May,  reviewed  the  proceedings,  approved 


270  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [April, 

and  confirmed  them,  and  ordered  the  prisoner  to  be  confined  in 
Fort  Wa»ren,  Boston  Harbor. 

In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Vallandigham,  through  Hon.  George 
E.  Pugh,  made  application  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United 
States  for  the  Southern  District  of  Ohio,  for  the  allowance  of  a 
writ  of  habeas  corpus.  The  Court  met  and  received  the  ap- 
plication on  the  9th  of  May.  The  case  was  argued  on  the 
11th,.  before  Hon.  Humphrey  H.  Leavitt,  Judge  of  the  Court, 
an  old,  experienced  and  able  lawyer,  who  had  held  the  office 
which  he  adorned  for  nearly  thirty  years.  General  Burnside 
submitted  a  brief  statement  of  his  case,  basing  the  authority  of 
his  action  upon'the  fact  of  the  existence  of  a  civil  war,  and  the 
necessity  in  times  of  public  peril,  for  "  the  operation  of  some 
power  that  moves  more  quickly  than  the  civil,"  and  affirming 
that  his  duty  to  the  government  required  him  to  "  stop  license 
and  intemperate  discussion  which  tends  to  weaken  the  author- 
ity of  the  government  and  the  army."  He  deprecated  the  vio- 
lence of  the  public  addresses  to  which  the  people  in  their  as- 
semblies were  accustomed  to  listen.  He  fixed  upon  the  public 
orators  the  responsibility  of  attempting  to  undermine  the  au- 
thoritv  of  the  government  by  passionate  and  inconsiderate 
appeals.  "  They  must  not  use  license,"  he  says  with  emphasis, 
"  and  plead  that  they  are  exercising  liberty.  In  this  Depart- 
ment, it  cannot  be  done.  I  shall  use  all  the  power  I  have  to 
break  down  such  license,  and  I  am  sure  I  will  be  sustained  in 
this  course  by  all  honest  men.  At  all  events,  I  will  have  the 
consciousness,  before  God,  of  having  done  my  duty  to  my 
country  ;  and  when  I  am  swerved  from  the  performance  of 
that  duty  by  any  pressure,  public  or  private,  or  by  any  preju- 
dice, I  will  no  longer  be  a  man  or  a  patriot."*      Mr.  Pugh  ap- 

*  It  is  a  curious  fact,  when  viewed  in  the  light  of  recent  events,  that,  at  the 
time  General  Burnside  prepared  this  paper,  Mr.  Andrew  Johnson,  now  Presi- 
dent of  the  TJnit-ed  States,  was  in  Cincinnati,  and  heard  this  statement  read  by 
General  Burnside  "before  it  was  submitted  to  the  Court.  He  not  only  approved 
the  language  and  spirit  of  the  paper,  but  he  also  condemned  Mr.  Vallandigham's 
course,  without  mercy.  The  only  objection  that  he  expressed  in  regard  to 
General  Burnside's  action  was  that  it  was  too  lenient, 


1863.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   THE    OHIO.  271 

peared  for  the  petitioner,  and  made  an  able  argument  in  his 
behalf,  based  upon  the  allegation  of  his  being  a  citizen  and 
not  under  the  authority  of  martial  law,  and  therefore  not  liable 
to  be  tried  and  condemned  for  "  offences  alike  unknown  to  the 
articles  of  war  and  to  the  ordinary  laws  of  the  land."  If  Mr. 
Vallandigham  was  to  be  tried,  it  must  be  before  a  jury  of  his 
peers,  and  not  by  courts  or  commissions  composed  of  military 
officers. 

The  District  Attorney,  Flamen  Ball,  Esq.,  assisted  by  Hon. 
Aaron  F  Perry,  appeared  for  General  Burnside.  Mr.  Perry 
replied  to  Mr.  Pugh,  and  based  his  reasoning,  as  an  advocate 
for  the  legitimacy  of  Mr.  Vallandigham's  trial,  upon  "  the  ob- 
ligations, duties  and  responsibilities  of  General  Burnside  as  a 
Major  General  in  command  of  an  army  of  the  United  States  in 
the  field  of  military  operations,  for  the  purposes  of  war  and  in 
the  presence  of  the  enemy."  Under  the  laws  of  war,  arrests 
of  a  certain  kind,  by  military  officers,  are  certainly  justifiable. 
The  arrest  of  Mr.  Vallandia-hani  was  a  legal  and  iustifiable  act. 
In  a  state  of  civil  war,  all  persons  take  sides.  Those  who  fa- 
vor the  government  are  the  supporters  of  the  means  required 
for  carrying  on  the  war.  Those  who  oppose  the  government 
and  embarrass  its  operations,  intended  to  save  the  nation  from 
utter  destruction,  are  enemies  to  the  country,  for  they  aid  the 
public  enemy.  Mr.  Vallandigham  came  within  this  category, 
and  consequently  his  arrest  was  imperative.  Being  law- 
fully held  by  the  authority  of  the  United  States,  there  was 
no  occasion  for  the  exercise  of  the  power  contained  in  the  writ 
of  habeas  corpus.  Individual  rights  may,  in  such  cases,  be 
sometimes  abridged.  But  the  public  safety  requires  such 
abridgement,  and,  according  to  the  laws  of  war,  when  the 
country  itself  is  in  peril,  "everything  may  be  done  which  the 
necessities  of  war  require." 

The  District  Attorney  followed  on  the  same  side,  giving  a 
very  clear  and  compact  statement  of  the  legislation  of  Congress 
respecting  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  from  the  beginning.  He 
argued  that,  under  such  legislation,  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  ex- 


272  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST    TENNESSEE.  [Apeil, 

eluded  from  the  privilege  which  it  conferred,  and  that  General 
Burnside  not  only  had  the  right  to  make  the  arrest,  but  that 
he  would  also  be  obliged,  in  case  the  writ  should  issue,  to  make 
return  that  he  was  acting  under  the  authority  of  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  who,  in  a  state  of  civil  war,  was  the  judge 
of  the  necessity  which  required  an  extraordinary  exercise  of 
power. 

Mr.  Pugh  replied  to  the  arguments  of#the  counsel  appearing 
for  General  Burnside,  quoting  authorities  both  foreign  and  do- 
mestic, to  make  good  the  points  which  he  had  before  argued, 
and  to  show  that  "  a  military  officer  has  no  right  to  arrest  and 
detain  a  person  not  subject  to  the  Bules  and  Articles,  of  War„ 
for  an  offence  against  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  except  in 
aid  of  the  judicial  authority,  and  subject  to  its  control;  and  if 
the  party  is  arrested  by  the  military,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  offi- 
cer to  deliver  him  over  immediately  to  the  civil  authority,  to 
be  dealt  with  according  to  law." 

Judge  Leavitt,  after  a  most  patient  hearing  of  the  case,  gave 
his  decision,  refusing;  the  writ.  Besides  considering;  the  neces- 
sity  of  the  case  and  the  exigency  which  demanded  the  action 
of  General  Burnside,  the  Court  referred  to  a  decision  which  had 
already  been  given  by  the  Circuit  Judge,  Mr.  Justice  Swayne, 
in  a  similar  case.  Judge  Swayne  "  distinctly  held  that  this 
Court  would  not  grant  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  when  it  ap- 
peared that  the  detention  or  imprisonment  was  under  military 
authority."  "  It  is  clearly  not  a  time,"  says  Judge  Leavitt, 
"  when  any  one  connected  with  the  judicial  department  of  the 
government  should  allow  himself,  except  from  the  most  strin- 
gent obligations  of  duty,  to  embarrass  or  thwart  the  Executive 
in  his  efforts  to  deliver  the  country  from  the  dangers  which 
press  so  heavily  upon  it."  It  was  not  necessary  that  martial 
law  should  have  been  in  force  to  justify  General  Burnside  in 
making  the  arrest.  "  The  power  vested  by  virtue  of  the  au- 
thority conferred  by  the  appointment  of  the  President,"  under 
which  General  Burnside  became  the  commander  of  the  De- 
partment of  the   Ohio.     Occupying  such   a  position,  General 


1863.]  DEPARTMENT   OF   THE   OHIO.  278 

Burnside  made  the  arrest.  "  It  was  virtually  the  act  of  the 
executive  department  under  the  power  vested  in  the  President 
by  the  Constitution ;  and  I  am  unable  to  perceive,"  adds  the 
judge,  "  on  what  principle  a  judicial  tribunal  can  be  invoked  to 
annul  or  reverse  it."  The  judge  also  took  occasion  to  animad- 
vert, with  some  severity,  upon  what  he  called  "  the  pestilential 
leaven  of  disloyalty  in  the  community,"  and  concluded  his  able 
and  patriotic  opinion  by  the  gratifying  words  :  "  For  these 
reasons  I  am  constrained  to  refuse  the  writ." 

General  Burnside  made  all  necessary  provisions  for  re- 
moving his  prisoner  secretly  and  swiftly  from  Cincinnati  to 
Boston,  and  only  awaited  the  order  of  the  President  confirming 
the  sentence  of  the  Military  Commission.  But  the  President 
deemed  it  best  to  commute  the  sentence  of  the  commission, 
and  on  the  19th  of  May,  General  Canby,  in  behalf  of  Mr. 
Lincoln,  despatched  to  General  Burnside  the  following  order  : 
"  The  President  directs  that,  without  delay,  you  send  C.  L. 
Vallandigham,  under  secure  guard,  to  the  headquarters  of 
General  Rosecrans,  to  be  put  by  him  beyond  our  military  lines, 
and  that,  in  case  of  his  return  within  our  lines,  he  be  arrested 
and  kept  in  close  custody  for  the  term  specified  in  his  sentence." 
Under  this  order,  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  transferred  into  the 
hands  of  General  Rosecrans,  and  was  by  him  delivered,  on  the 
25th,  into  the  custody  of  the  rebel  authorities.  General  Bragg 
transferred  him  to  Richmond.  But  the  enemy's  government 
evidently  considered  him  an  unwelcome  guest.  No  great 
amount  of  cordiality  was  expended  upon  him,  and  he  was 
finally  sent,  or  betook  himself  out  of  the  country.  He  found 
an  asylum  in  Canada,  and  remained  there  in  comparative  re- 
tirement through  the  following  autumn  and  winter,  when,  in 
the  waning  days  of  the  rebellion,  he  returned  home  and  was 
permitted  to  remain  unmolested. 

The  arrest  and  trial  of  Mr.  Vallandigham  naturally  excited 
the  public  mind.     Threats  of  rescue  were  freely  made  at  Day- 
ton, Cincinnati  and  other  places.     Dayton  and  its  neighbor- 
hood were  immediately  placed  under  martial  law.     The  dis- 
ss 


274  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [Mat, 

loyal  people  of  that  section  soon  ascertained  that  resistance  to 
the  authority  of  the  government  was  useless,  and  the  loyal 
people  of  the  State  rejoiced  to  feel  that  their  security  was  as- 
sured. Mr.  Vallandigham's  friends  in  Cincinnati  endeavored 
to  make  arrangements,  under  cover  of  a  complimentary  sere- 
nade, for  an  attempt  to  rescue  the  prisoner.  But  General 
Burnside  had  taken  the  precaution  to  lodge  him  at  headquar- 
ters, in  a  room  immediately  above  his  own,  to  place  him  under 
the  most  strict  and  vigilant  guard,  and  to  give  his  friends  to 
understand  that  he  would  not  be  delivered  alive  into  their 
hands.  The  ferment  in  the  city  subsided,  and  Mr.  Vallandig- 
ham's partizans  relinquished  their  unwise  and  ineffectual 
schemes.  They  were  subsequently  determined  to  bring  his 
name  more  prominently  before  the  country,  and  accordingly 
procured  his  nomination,  as  the  candidate  of  the  democratic 
party,  for  Governor  of  Ohio.  The  people  of  that  State  indig- 
nantly rejected  him,  and  he  was  ignominiously  defeated,  in  a 
spirited  canvass,  by  a  majority  of  over  one  hundred  thousand 
votes.  The  vote  of  the  soldiers  was  very  decided,  as  a  very 
bitter  feeling  existed  in  the  army  against  this  enemy  in  the 
rear.  He  was  thus  bereft  of  the  last  consolation  of  politicians 
— the  sympathy  of  the  members  of  his  own  party.  He  has 
since  been  more  signally  rebuked  by  the  miscarriage  of  all  his 
schemes  to  embarrass  the  government,  has  even  been  compelled 
to  withdraw  from  a  convention  of  his  friends,  and  is  now  buried 
so  deeply  beneath  the  obloquy  which  his  countrymen  have 
heaped  upon  him,  that  no  one  cares  to  exhume  his  dishonored 
name.  Deprived  of  honor,  both  North  and  South,  he  has  met 
the  doom  which  such  a  character  must  always  be  exposed  to, 
and  his  career  and  end  furnish  a  profitable  lesson  to  all  who 
may  contemplate  a  similar  course. 

The  arrest,  trial  and  conviction  of  Mr.  Vallandigham  have 
given  rise  to  much  discussion  throughout  the  country,  and  the 
policy  and  justice  of  General  Burnside  in  the  premises  have 
been  commended  or  condemned,  according  to  the  difFering 
opinions  of  his  critics.     On  the  one  hand  it  has  been  argued, 


1863.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   THE    OHIO.  275 

that,  as  martial  law  had  .not  been  proclaimed  in  Ohio,  what- 
ever offences  might  have  been  committed  by  civilians  should 
have  been  brought  under  the  examination  of  the  civil  authori- 
ties, and  the  civil  courts ;  that  the  principles  of  freedom  of 
speech  and  of  the  press  were  too  precious,  and  too  firmly  es- 
tablished by  the  struggles  and  sacrifices  which  they  had  cost, 
to  become  the  object  of  a  military  commission,  which,  in  such 
case,  would  be  mere  despotism ;  and  that  the  loyal  cause  was 
too  strong  and  too  just  to  be  placed  permanently  in  danger  by 
the  frenzied  utterances  of  a  demoralized  press,  or  the  insane 
appeals  of  inflamed  public  orators.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was 
replied,  that  if  civilians  committed  offences  against  public  order, 
which  were  detrimental  to  the  success  of  our  armies  in  the 
field,  by  attempting  to  create  a  public  sentiment  hostile  to  the 
prosecution  of  the  war,  by  the  discouragement  of  enlistments, 
and  by  actual  hindrance  of  military  operations,  such  civilians 
were  giving  aid  and  comfort  to  the  public  enemy,  and  were 
justly  answerable  to  the  swift  process  of  military  tribunals  ; 
that  when  freedom  of  speech  and  the  press  degenerated  into 
licentiousness,  it  was  an  abuse  of  the  principle  which  could  not 
be  too  speedily  corrected,  a  nuisance  in  a  loyal  community 
which  could  not  be  too  soon  abated,  a  crime  even  in  a  season 
of  civil  war,  which  could  not  be  too  promptly  and  severely 
punished ;  and  that  no  cause  was  so  strong  as  not  to  be  liable 
to  be  undermined  and  defeated  by  that  meanest  kind  of  craft 
which  is  the  characteristic  of  traitors  in  disguise.  General 
Burnside  thought  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  the  military 
necessity  required  that  the  lines  should  be  strictly  drawn  be- 
tween those  who  were  faithful  to  the  national  cause  and  those 
who  were  disposed  to  betray  it.  He  determined  to  affix  the 
stigma  of  treason  upon  the  disloyal  opponents  of  the  govern- 
ment. He  acted  not  as  a  politician.  He  had  no  personal 
feelings  to  gratify.  He  had  no  ill  will  against  his  prisoner,  or 
the  friends  or  partizans  of  the  culprit.  But  he  conceived  that 
it  was  his  duty,  as  commander  of  a  Department  in  which  an 
offence  against  good  taste,  good  order,  good  morals  and  good 


276  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST    TENNESSEE.  [Mat, 

government  had  been  committed,  to  take  cognizance  of  it,  and 
to  provide  against  its  recurrence.  He  judged  it  to  be  his 
duty,  as  a  loyal  servant  of  the  government,  to  see  that  the  Re- 
public should  receive  no  injury  from  the  action  of  its  internal 
enemies,  or  from  his  own  negligence.  Especially  he  believed 
that  it  was  necessary  for  him,  as  a  sincere  patriot,  to  strip  off 
the  speciousness  of  the  disguise  with  which  such  men  as  those 
whom  he  proscribed  cloaked  their  nefarious  designs,  and  to 
hold  them  up,  in  all  their  ugliness  and  deformity,  to  the  scorn 
of  his  countrymen  and  of  mankind,  as  traitors.  The  brand 
of  treason — basest  of  all  crimes — was  to  be  forever  fixed  upon 
these  offenders.  When  this  was  once  done,  and  the  practice  of 
speaking  and  acting  against  the  government  was  made  infa- 
mous in  public  estimation,  the  hour  of  danger  to  the  Republic 
would  have  passed. 

Certainly  if  success  is  allowed  to  justify  a  measure  of  the 
kind  which  General  Burnside  adopted,  he  has  been  amply  re- 
warded. The  change  of  affairs  and  character  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Ohio  was  decidedly  marked  for  the  better.  The 
treason  that  on  his  arrival  was  ripening  into  notoriety — expres- 
sing itself  both  in  private  and  public,  in  the  drinking  of  senti- 
ments and  toasts  to  the  success  of  the  rebel  cause,  in  the  loud 
proclamation  of  sympathy  with  the  rebels,  on  the  street  corners, 
in  the  shops,  in  the  hotels,  in  social  intercourse,  in  public 
assemblies,  in  the  columns  of  the  press — suddenly  felt  that  a 
master  hand  was  laid  upon'it.  The  fate  of  Mr.  Vallandigham 
was  a  significant  and  serious  warning  not  to  be  overlooked  or 
despised.  There  was  a  healthier  public  sentiment  at  once, 
loyal  men  breathed  more  freely,  treason  sank  back  abashed  and 
was  remanded  into  silence,  and  the  authority  of  the  Govern- 
ment was  established  more  firmly  than  ever  throughout  the 
entire  North  West. 

A  few  public  journals,  however,  were  indisposed  to  let  the 
subject  drop,  and  discussed  the  matter  in  the  most  acrimonious 
terms.  Foremost  among  these  were  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer, 
the  Chicago  Times,   and  the  New   York  World — all  of  which 


1863.]  DEPARTMENT    OF   THE    OHIO.  277 

had  long  pursued  a  course  which  was  aiding  the  cause  of  the 
rebels.  The  editor  of  the  first,  after  being  warned,  proposed 
to  General  Burnside  to  submit  his  articles  to  inspection  before 
they  were  printed.  But  General  Burnside  declined  this,  with 
the  understanding  on  both  sides,  that  for  the  future  the  tone  of 
the  paper  was  to  be  loyal.  The  second  was  suppressed  and  a 
military  guard  placed  in  possession  of  the  office.  The  circula- 
tion of  the  third  within  the  limits  of  the  Department  was  pro- 
hibited. These  acts  of  justice  were  performed  in  the  latter  part 
of  May,  but  early  in  June  the  President  disapproved  them,  and 
the  papers  in  question  were  once  more  allowed  to  distil  their 
venom.  But  a  salutary  warning  had-  been  given,  and  a  more 
moderate  tone  was  perceptible  in  their  criticisms.  The  stigma 
of  treason  could  not  be  removed.  The  line  had  been  drawn. 
The  President,  the  Cabinet,  the  public  sentiment  of  the  country 
pronounced  its  approval  of  General  Burnside's  course. 

While  General  Burnside  was  thus  engaged  in  securing  his 
rear,  he  was  by  no  means  negligent  in  pushing  forward  his  pre- 
parations for  a  movement  in  front.  The  enemy  was  somewhat 
disposed  to  alarm,  and  if  possible,  break  through  our  attenu- 
ated lines.  The  Blue  Grass  Begion  of  Kentucky  was  too  fer- 
tile a  country  and  too  tempting  in  its  abundance  of  supplies  to 
be  left  in  complete  security  from  disturbance  by  the  rebel 
forces.  Predatory  bands  issued  from  the  fastnesses  of  East 
Tennessee  and  South  Western  Virginia,  and  crossing  the  moun- 
tains, sought  to  harass  and  plunder  the  neighboring  section. 
The  lines  of  communication,  upon  which  General  Bosecrans 
relied  for  his  means  of  offensive  warfare,  ran  through  General 
Burnside's  department,  and  it  became  an  object  of  some  impor- 
tance, on  the  part  of  the  enemy  to  disturb  them,  and  on  the 
part  of  our  own  forces  to  prevent  such  disturbance.  At  differ- 
ent times  during  the  months  of  April  and  May,  the  rebel  parti- 
zans,  Morgan,  Wheeler,  Pegram,  and  Clute,  attempted  to 
ravage  central  Kentucky,  and  to  interfere  with  the  lines  of 
General  Eosecrans.  The  affairs  were  not  of  much  consequence 
in  themselves,  being  scarcely  more  than  skirmishes.     But  they 


278  DELIVERANCE   OF  EAST  TENNESSEE.  [June, 

served  to  keep  our  troops  constantly  on  the  alert,  and  subjected 
them  to  considerable  annoyance,  without  permitting  the  accom- 
plishment of  any  great  result.  In  all  cases,  the  roving  bands  of 
the  enemy  were  met,  checked  and  driven  back,  and  their  incur- 
sions rendered  ineffectual.  The  people  of  Kentucky  were  made 
secure  and  General  Rosecrans's  communications  were  not  in- 
terrupted for  a  day. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  the  War  Department  issued  an  order, 
directing  "  that  the  troops  in  Kentucky  not  belonging  to  the 
Ninth  Army  Corps,  be  organized  into  the  twenty-third  army 
corps,  to  be  commanded  by  Major  General  G.  L.  Hartsuff." 
Measures  were  immediately  taken  to  carry  this  order  into  effect, 
and  on  the  22d  of  May,  General  Burnside  had  completed  the 
organization  of  the  force,  and  the  twenty-third  army  corps — 
composed  of  troops  from  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Illinois,  Indiana  and 
Michigan — came  into  existence  as  a  constituent  part  of  the  Army 
of  the  Ohio.  With  the  two  corps,  it  was  hoped  that  the  con- 
templated movement  upon  East  Tennessee  might  be  made. 
General  Burnside  had  repeatedly  asked  that  General  Getty's 
division  should  be  sent  out  to  him  to  fill  up  the  Ninth  Corps  to 
its  complement,  but  the  request  had  been  as  repeatedly  evaded 
or  refused.  With  the  two  divisions,  therefore,  under  General 
Willcox  and  the  twenty-third  corps  under  General  Hartsuff, 
hastily  organized  as  the  latter  had  been,  the  enterprise  must 
be  undertaken.  General  Burnside  submitted  to  General  Rose- 
crans  a  plan  for  a  cooperative  movement  upon  East  Tennessee. 
With  the  advice  of  General  Thomas  it  was  accepted  and  prepa- 
rations were  accordingly  made  by  the  two  commanders.  The 
troops  were  properly  concentrated  for  the  movement,  and  on 
the  2d  day  of  June,  General  Burnside  left  his  headquarters  at 
Cincinnati,  and  proceeded  to  Lexington  to  take  the  field.  The 
time  was  ripe  for  the  operation,  and  officers  and  men  were  eager 
for  the  service.  The  Ninth  Corps,  strengthened  by  a  division 
under  General  Carter,  was  to  march  directly  into  East  Tennessee 
by  way  of  Monticello.  General  Hartsuff  was  to  follow  in  sup- 
port.    General  Eosecrans  was  to  advance  upon  Chattanooga. 


1863.]  CAMPAIGN   IN   MISSISSIPPI.  279 


CHAPTEE    II 

THE    CAMPAIGN    IN   MISSISSIPPI. 

THE  Ninth  Corps  was  not  to  have  the  honor  of  expelling 
the  foe  from  the  beautiful  region  which  he  had  so  long 
oppressed.  On  the  very  eve  of  marching,  the  destination  was 
changed,  and  a  more  arduous  duty  was  demanded.  The  deli- 
verance of  East  Tennessee  must  be  postponed.  A  more  imper- 
ative necessity  existed.  A  more  important  enterprise  must 
first  be  brought  to  a  successful  conclusion.  Just  before  leaving 
Cincinnati  General  Burnside  had  received  a  despatch  from 
Washington  inquiring  if  any  troops  could  be  spared  from  the 
Department  of  the  Ohio  to  assist  General  Grant  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg.  The  despatch  seemed  ominous.  Preparations 
were  made  for  any  exigency.  Baggage  of  officers  and  men 
was  cut  down  to  the  lowest  amount,  and  nothing  was  wanting 
but  the  order  to  move.  The  order  came,  reaching  General 
Burnside  at  Lexington  on  the  3d  of  June.  General  Grant 
must  be  reenforced  with  eight  thousand  men.  It  was  like  cut- 
ting off  General  Burnside's  right  arm.  But  it  was  obeyed  on 
the  instant.  On  the  4th,  the  Ninth  Corps,  with  General  Parke 
in  command,  was  put  en  route  for  Vicksburg.  The  12th  Shode 
Island,  Colonel  George  H.  Browne,  did  not  accompany  the 
Corps  in  its  Mississippi  campaign.  This  regiment  was  raised 
for  nine  months'  service,  and  joined  the  Corps  a  short  time  pre- 
vious to  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  where  Colonel  Browne 
distinguished  himself  for  his  gallantry  and  the  regiment  suf- 
fered severely.  It  went  west  with  the  Corps,  but  as  the  expi- 
ration of  its  term  of  service  was  at  hand,  it  was  retained  in 
Kentucky  for  a  time  and  was  at  Cincinnati  for  a  few  days  dur- 


280  DELIVERANCE   OP   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [JUNE, 

ing  the  Morgan  raid.  By  its  services  at  Somerset,  Jamestown 
and  other  parts  of  Kentucky,  it  won  for  itself  a  good  reputa- 
tion for  all  soldierly  qualities.  General  Burnside  desired  to 
accompany  his  forces,  but  General  Halleck  would  not  consent 
to  his  departure,  deeming  his  presence  in  the  Department  of  the 
first  importance.  Accordingly,  General  Burnside  remained 
behind,  parting  with  his  companions  in  arms  with  unaffected 
regret.  He  had  the  satisfaction  of  receiving,  on  the  7th,  from 
Secretary  Stanton  the  following  despatch  :  "  You  will  accept 
the  thanks  of  the  President  and  Vice  President,  for  your  alacri- 
ty and  promptness  in  sending  forward  reinforcements  to  Gene- 
ral Grant." 

The  Corps  left  Crab  Orchard  and  vicinity,  where  it  had  been 
concentrated  for  the  march  upon  East  Tennessee,  on  the  4th  of 
June,  and  bivouacked  that  night  at  Camp  Dick  Robinson.  On 
the  5th,  the  march  was  resumed  for  Nicolasville,  where  the 
troops  took  cars  for  Covington.  They  proceeded  thence  by 
rail  on  the  5th  towards  Cairo.  All  along  the  route,  they  were 
welcomed  by  the  people  with  every  manifestation  of  interest 
and  cordiality.  Flags  were  waved,  cheers  filled  the  air,  good 
wishes  were  uttered  on  every  side.  The  Ninth  Corps  had  come 
to.be  known  and  regarded  throughout  the  Department,  with 
the  warmest  sentiments  of  respect  and  admiration.  On  the  9th, 
the  Corps  arrived  at  Cairo,  and  left  in  steamers  on  the  10th  for 
Memphis.  It  reached  Memphis  on  the  11th,  left  there  on  the 
12th,  and  on  the  14th  General  Parke  reported  with  his  entire 
command  to  General  Grant.  On  the  15th  the  troops  were  all 
disembarked  at  Sherman's  Landing  nearly  opposite  Vicksburg, 
and  on  the  following  day  they  were  ordered  to  move  down  the 
river  to  a  point  opposite  Warrenton.  A  portion  of  the  Corps 
had  started  upon  the  march,  when  the  order  was  countermand- 
ed, and  a  new  point  designated  as  the  object  of  the  movement. 
On  the  17th,  the  men  were  again  embarked,  transported  up  the 
Yazoo  Biver,  and  landed  at  Haines's  Bluff.  The  Corps  went 
into  camp  about  two  miles  from  the  landing. 

General  Grant  had  been  persistently  carrying  on  the  siege  of 


1863.]  CAMPAIGN    IN   MISSISSIPPI.  281 

Vicksburg  since  the  22d  of  May.  With  that  remarkable  tena- 
city of  purpose,  and  skill  in  the  management  of  armies,  which 
has  made  him  the  first  soldier  of  the  war  for  the  Union,  the 
Commander  of  our  forces  in  that  quarter  had  been  more  and 
more  closely  investing  the  enemy's  stronghold.  General  Pem- 
bei'ton,  who  was  in  command  of  the  post,  had  been  doing  all 
that  was  possible  to  avert  the  impending  disaster.  There  was 
no  help  for  him  except  what  might  arise  from  a  movement 
upon  General  Grant's  rear,  by  forces  detached  from  the  other 
armies  of  the  enemy.  General  Jos.  E.  Johnston  had  been  as- 
signed to  the  work  of  raising  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  by  an 
attempt  upon  our  lines  from  the  interior  of  Mississippi.  To 
check  any  such  attempt  and  to  prevent  any  movement  designed 
by  the  enemy  for  the  relief  of  the  beleaguered  garrison,  the 
Ninth  Corps,  with  other  troops,  was  posted  at  Haines's  Bluff. 
The  duty  was  more  of  observation  than  of  direct  contact  with 
the  enemy.  It  was  General  Johnston's  part  to  take  the  ag- 
gressive. But  this  he  declined  and  our  forces  had  a  fortnight 
of  comparative  quiet.  The  only  incident  which  broke  the  mo- 
notony of  camp  life  was  a  reconnaissance  made  on  the  25th  by 
the  6th  New  Hampshire  and  7th  Rhode  Island,  under  command 
of  Colonel  S.  Z.  Griffin.  The  enemy  was  found  quietly  but 
vigilantly  on  the  watch,  and  the  troops  returned  to  camp.  The 
time  was  occupied  in  throwing  up  defensive  works,  to  render 
General  Grant's  rear  perfectly  secure.  Two  intrenched  lines 
were  formed.  The  first  extended  along  Oak  Ridge,  guarding 
the  roads  across  the  Big  Black  river.  The  second  in  rear  of 
the  first,  extending  from  Haines's  and  Snyder's  Bluffs,  through 
Milldale  and  along  the  high  ground  east  of  Vicksburg,  com- 
manding all  the  approaches  from  the  North  and  East. 

General  Johnston  was  thus  foiled,  and  the  enemy  was  doomed. 
On  the  4th  of  July,  General  Pemberton  surrendered  his  post 
with  its  garrison  of  thirty-seven  thousand  officers  and  men, 
arms  and  munitions  of  war  sufficient  for  an  army  of  sixty  thou- 
sand, cannon,  locomotives,  cars,  steamboats,  cotton  and  other 
public  property.  By  a  happy  coincidence,  the  Army  of  the 
36 


282  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [July, 

Potomac,  under  General  Meade,  who  had  superseded  General 
Hooker  in  command,  achieved  on  the  same  day  a  signal  victory 
over  General  Lee  at  Gettysburg,  and  thus  the  victorious  can- 
non peals  of  East  and  West  proclaimed  the  declining  fortunes 
of  the  rebellion. 

Immediately  upon  hearing  the  intelligence  of  Pemberton's 
surrender,  General  Johnston  fell  back  from  his  advanced  posi- 
tion upon  the  Big  Black,  and  retired  towards  Jackson.  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  with  the  Ninth  Corps  to  which  was  assigned 
General  Smith's  division  of  the  sixteenth,  his  own  corps 
and  other  forces,  under  command  of  Generals  Steele  and 
Ord,  started  in  pursuit  of  the  retreating  enemy  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  day  of  the  surrender.  The  first  division  of  the 
Ninth  Corps  was  then  under  command  of  Brigadier  General 
Thomas  Welsh,*  the  Second  under  that  of  General  Potter.  The 
command  left  camp  towards  nightfall  on  the  4th,  and  moved 
out  towards  the  Big  Black  river,  intending  to  cross  at  Jones's 
Ford  and  Birdsong's  Ferry.  On  reaching  the  river,  the  enemy 
was  found  in  force  on  the  opposite  bank,  disposed  to  hinder  the 
progress  of  the  march.  The  configuration  of  the  land  and  the 
heavy  timber  which  covered  it  enabled  him  with  a  small  force  to 
check  our  advance,  until  the  evening  of  the  5th,  when  an  ex- 
amination of  the  ford  disclosed  the  fact  that  bridges  would  be 
necessary  to  cross  the  troops.  A  lodgement  was  effected  on 
the  opposite  bank,  and  by  constant  exertions  a  bridge  Was  con- 
structed at  Birdsong's  by  the  men  of  Colonel  Bowman's  brigadef 
of  the  first  division.  During  the  afternoon  and  night  of  the 
7th,  the  corps,  with  its  supply  trains  and  baggage,  was  safely 
got  across.  The  ferry  boat,  which  had  been  disabled  by  the 
enemy  and  sunk,  was  found,  raised,  put  in  order  and  used  for 
transporting  the  division  of  General  Smith.     Colonel  Griffin's 

*Colonel  Welsh  of  the  48th  Pennsylvania  had  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Brigadier  General  on  the  13th  of  March.  General  "Welsh  had  relieved  General 
Willcox  who  had  been  assigned  to  command  the  District  of  Indiana. 

fThe  brigade  consisted  of  the  36th  Massachusetts,  45th  Pennsylvania,  17th 
and  27th  Michigan. 


1863.]  CAMPAIGN    IN   MISSISSIPPI.  283 

brigade  and  Captain  Roemer's  battery  of  the  second  division 
crossed  at  Messenger's  Ferry. 

On  the  evening  of  the  7th,  the  entire  command  moved  out 
from  Birdsong's,  and  at  ten  o'clock  bivouacked  at  Eobertson's, 
in  the  close  vicinity  of  Jefferson  Davis's  plantation  near  Bolton. 
Other  parts  of  the  army  were  posted  upon  the  plantation  itself 
and  Mr.  Davis's  house  and  library  were  thoroughly  examined. 
The  Corps  marched  out  on  the  main  road  towards  Jackson  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  8th,  but,  on  coming  in  contact  with  General 
Steele's  command,  was  obliged  to  make  a  detour  upon  a  side 
road,  along  which  the  march  was  continued  till  ten  o'clock, 
when  the  Corps  bivouacked  near  Hall's  Cross  Roads.  On  this 
day's  march  Griffin's  brigade  and  Roemer's  Battery  brought 
up  the  rear  and  guarded  the  trains.  On  the  9th,  the  Corps 
moved  about  twelve  miles,  cutting  a  road  through  the  timber 
and  across  the  plantations  for  a  portion  of  the  way,  and  en- 
countering the  enemy's  cavalry  about  dark.  A  slight  skirmish 
took  place,  in  which  the  artillery  of  both  sides  was  brought  up 
and  put  into  the  action.  The  proximity  of  the  enemy  rendered 
great  vigilance'  necessary. 

On  the  10th,  the  enemy  retiring  before  our  advance,  our 
forces  were  early  on  the  road,  and  pushing  on  across  the  coun- 
try, through  large  plantations,  came  out  at  night,  on  the  Liv- 
ingston road,  five  miles  north  of  Jackson.  The  next  morning, 
General  Sherman  moved  his  army  up  to  the  suburbs  of  Jack- 
son and  found  the  enemy  strongly  entrenched.  In  front  of  the 
Ninth  Corps  was  the  ridge  of  land  upon  which  is  situated  the 
State  Lunatic  Asylum — a  natural  position  of  considerable 
strength,  and  then  well  defended  by  lines  of  earthworks.  The 
enemy  fell  back  into  his  entrenchments,  as  the  Corps  moved 
forward  upon  him.  General  Welsh,  commanding  the  first  divi- 
sion^ formed  his  command  into  line  of  battle,  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  10th,  and  prepared  for  an  attack.  The  first  brigade, 
Colonel  Bowman,  was  placed  upon  the  right ;  the  third  bri- 
gade, Colonel  Leasure,  upon  the  left ;  the  45th  Pennsylvania 
regiment,  Colonel    Curtin,   and  the   79th   New  York,   Colonel 


284  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST    TENNESSEE.  [JULY, 

Morrison,  were  thrown  forward  as  skirmishers.  The  division 
advanced ;  our  skirmishers  soon  came  in  contact  with  the  ene- 
my's videttes  near  the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad.  A  gene- 
ral engagement  seemed  impending.  But  the  enemy  declined 
fighting  in  the  open  field,  and,  night  coming  on,  General  Welsh, 
after  advancing  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  enemy's  works, 
established  his  line  securely  and  went  into  bivouac.  The  2d 
Michigan,  Colonel  Humphrey,  relieved  the  79th  New  York, 
and  the  46th  New  York  and  50th  Pennsylvania  guarded  the 
Canton  road.  The  Second  Division  was  moved  up,  leaving' 
Griffin's  brigade  to  guard  the  cross  roads,  and  the  entire  Corps 
occupied  a  line  at  right  angles  with  the  Canton  road,  and  ex- 
tending from  near  Pearl  river  to  the  Livingston  road,  crossing 
the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad. 

The  enemy's  defences  consisted  of  a  line  of  works  which, 
combined  with  the  natural  strength  of  his  position,  enabled 
him  to  make  a  decided  resistance  to  any  attempt  which  we 
might  ma£e  to  dislodge  him.  Opposite  the  right  of  onr  line 
were  two  forts,  one  an  earthwork,  the  other  constructed  of 
cotton  bales,  and  both  well  armed.  In  front  of*  our  centre  was 
a  six  gun  fort,  the  artillery  of  which  was  well  manned  and  nu- 
merously supported.  Opposite  our  left  was  an  earthwork, 
armed  with  field  artillery.  All  the  works  were  connected  with 
lines  of  rifle  pits,  and  a  large  number  of  troops  could  be  seen 
behind  them.  General  Johnston  seemed  disposed  to  hold  his 
position,  and  a  very  determined  attack  would  be  required  to 
drive  him  out.  The  weather  was  excessively  hot,  and  ,the 
troops  were  considerably  worn.  General  Sherman  decided  to 
feel  the  enemy  and  to  make  an  attempt  upon  his  position. 

On  the  11th,  our  lines  were  advanced,  the  first  division  of 
the  Ninth  Corps  moving  out  of  bivouac  at  daybreak.  Our 
line  of  skirmishers  came  almost  immediately  into  conflict«with 
the  enemy's  outposts,  and  a  sharp  engagement  took  place.  The 
enemy's  skirmishers  were  quickly  driven  in,  their  reserves 
pushed  back  upon  their  supports,  and  the  advanced  forces  of  the 
enemy  were  fairly  compelled  to  seek   the  shelter  of  the  fortifi- 


1863.]  CAMPAIGN    IN   MISSISSIPPI.  285 

cations.  As  our  troops  continued  to  advance,  the  enemy  open- 
ed with  his  artillery,  showing  a  formidable  front.  General 
"Welsh  halted  his  division,  established  his  line,  sheltering  his 
men  from  the  enemy's  battery,  and  taking  up  a  good  position 
upon  a  ridge  immediately  facing  the  enemy's  defences.  The 
2d  Michigan  on  the  left  skirmished  up  to  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  opposing  lines,  but  not  being  supported,  fell  back  to 
the  main  line,  bringing  in  its  wounded.  On  the  right, 
the  45th  Pennsylvania  advanced  to  within  five  hundred  yards 
of  the  enemy's  works,  and  retained  its  position.  The  rest  of 
our  line  advanced  to  the  close  proximity  of  the  opposing  lines. 
But  the  enemy  was  found  too  strongly  posted,  and  General 
Sherman,  judging  the  sacrifice  of  life  too  great  a  price  to 
pay  for  an  assault,  proceeded  to  establish  his  lines,  and  awaited 
the  arrival  of  heavier  artillery  and  supplies  of  ammunition. 

For  the  next  few  days,  the  two  armies  lay  watching  each 
other.  The  men  got  what  shelter  they  could  from  the  burning 
rays  of  the  sun  in  the  forests  that  bordered  their  position.  But 
neither  party  was  in  the  finest  condition  for  fighting.  A  spite- 
ful fire  was  kept  up  between  the  pickets.  The  Tth  Khode 
Island  lost  fifteen  men  killed  and  wounded  in  a  single  day,  and 
two  officers  were  captured.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  13th, 
the  enemy  made  a  sudden  and  vigorous  sortie  from  his  works,' 
hoping  to  break  our  lines  and  disturb  our  investing  operations. 
Colonel  Griffin  was,  at  the  time,  in  command  at  the  trenches, 
and  quickly  made  his  dispositions  to  meet  the  foe.  The  enemy 
was  received  with  so  destructive  a  fire  as  to  induce  him  quickly 
to  retrace  his  steps.  A  speedy  and  disastrous  repulse  was 
the  only  result  of  his  reckless  attempt.  The  city  was  closely 
invested,  and  dispositions  were  made  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of 
the  enemy.  The  supply  trains  came  up,  and  General  Sher- 
man, on  the  16th,  ordered  a  reconnaissance  for  the  purpose  of 
developing  the  enemy's  position  and  his  force.  General  Pot- 
ter's division,  which  had  relieved  General  Welsh  in  the  ad- 
vanced lines,  made  a  gallant  movement,  which  discovered  the 
enemy  still  strongly  posted  and  in  force  behind  his  intrench- 


286  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [July, 

ments.  His  formidable  batteries  made  free  use  of  shrapnel, 
canister  and  shell  upon  our  troops,  causing  some  casualties, 
among  which  was  the  severely  wounding  of  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Brenholts,  of  the  50th  Pennsylvania,  a  gallant  and  worthy  offi- 
cer. General  Smith's  division  at  the  same  time  advanced  in 
fine  style,  but  was  met  by  a  hot  fire,  which  caused  severe  loss. 
The  troops  were  finally  withdrawn,  after  ascertaining  the  ene- 
my's force,  and  preparations  were  made  for  a  general  assault, 
to  take  place  on  the  following  morning. 

On  the  night  of  the  16th,  General  Ferrero  was  in  command 
in  the  trenches.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  report  was 
brought  in  that  artillery  and  infantry  could  be  distinctly  heard 
moving  in  an  easterly  direction  through  the  town.  General 
Ferrero  investigated  the  matter,  found  that  the  information 
was  correct,  and  that  the  enemy  was  actually  in  motion.  The 
intelligence  was  communicated  to  his  superior  officers,  but  the 
darkness  prevented  any  movement.  At  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  17th,  General  Ferrero's  brigade  occupied  the 
skirmish  line,  and  at  daylight,  the  skirmishers  were  advanced 
to  ascertain  the  true  condition  of  affairs.  No  opposing  force 
was'  found,  a  white  flag  was  waving  from  the  earthworks,  and 
it  soon  became  clear  that  the  enemy  had  evacuated  the  city. 
General  Ferrero  at  once  brought  up  his  command,  at  six 
o'clock  entered  Jackson — the  35th  Massachusetts  in  advance — 
placed  guards  over  the  public  property,  and  sent  out  parties  of 
men  to  pick  up  the  stragglers  from  the  ranks  of  the  retreating 
rebels.  One  cannon,  a  32-pounder,  was  found  in  the  works, 
about  a  thousand  stands  of  arms,  and  a  large  quantity  of  am- 
munition were  .secured,  and  one  officer  and  one  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  men  were  captured.  But  General  Johnston  had 
made  good  his  escape,  and  placed  the  Pearl  river  between  him- 
self and  the  pursuit.  The  city  of  Jackson  was  left  to  our 
mercy.  The  railroad  depot  and  a  few  buildings,  containing 
the  enemy's  property,  were  destroyed.  The  town  itself  and 
the  public  property  of  the  State  of  Mississippi  were  guarded 
and  preserved  from  harm. 


1863.]  CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSISSIPPI.  287 

On  the  17th,  General  Welsh  moved  out  his  division  upon 
the  Canton  road,  with  the  hope  of  intercepting  the  enemy's 
cavalry,  which  were  supposed  to  be  making  for  the  Pearl  river 
in  that  direction.  No  enemy  appeared,  and  on  the  18th,  the 
men  were  engaged  in  disabling  and  destroying  the  Mississippi 
Central  Eailroad.  During  that  day  and  the  following,  the 
work  of  destruction  was  carried  on,  and  by  the  evening  of  the 
19th,  fifteen  miles  of  the  track  were  rendered  unfit  for  service, 
the  ties  were  burnt,  and  the  rails  bent  in  the  fire.  On  the 
morning  of  the  20th,  the  Corps  commenced  its  return,  and  on 
the  evening  of  the  23d,  after  a  very  harassing  and  exhausting 
march,  the  troops  reached  their  old  position  at  Milldale  and 
Oak  Ridge. 

The  Corps  remained  at  this  point  for  two  weeks,  waiting  for 
transportation,  which  was  procured,  after  various  delays,  in 
the  early  part  of  August.  The  boats  on  which  the  troops 
finally  embarked  were  crowded  to  their  utmost  capacity  ;  the 
voyage  to  Cairo  occupied  an  unusual  time,  the  men  suffered 
terribly  from  disease  engendered  by  their  exposure  to  the  en- 
feebling climate,  and  many  died  on  the  passage  and  were  buried 
on  the  river  bank.  Such  was  the  deficiency  of  transports,  that 
the  Corps,  in  different  detachments,  was  upon  the  river  for  two 
weeks.  On  the  15th,  the  last  of  the  troops  reached  Cairo,  in 
a  most  lamentable  plight.  They  were  received  with  every 
kindness  and  attention,  and  after  a  short  stay,  proceeded  to 
Cincinnati,  where  they  arrived  on  the  20th.  They  were  soon 
afterwards  transferred  to  Kentucky,  and  allowed  a  week  or 
two  of  rest  and  recuperation.  General  Grant  heartily  thanked 
the  Corps  in  general  orders,  dated  July  31st.  "  In  returning 
the  Ninth  Corps  to  its  former  command,"  said  he,  "  it  is  with 
pleasure  that  the  general  commanding  acknowledges  its  valua- 
ble services  in  the  campaign  just  closed.  Arriving  at  Vicks- 
burg  opportunely,  taking  a  position  to  hold  at  bay  Johnston's 
army,  then  threatening  the  forces  investing  the  city,  it  was 
ready  and  eager  to  assume  the  offensive  at  any  moment.  Af- 
ter the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  it  formed  a  part  of  the  army  which 


288  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [August, 

drove  Johnson  from  his  position  near  the  Big  Black  river  into 
his  intrenchments  at  Jackson,  and,  after  a  siege  of  eight  days, 
compelled  him  to  fly  in  disorder  from  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
The  endurance,  valor  and  general  good  conduct  of  the  Ninth 
Corps  are  admired  by  all ;  and  its  valuable  co.§  peration  in 
achieving  the  final  triumph  of  the  campaign  is  gratefully  ac- 
knowledged by"  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee/ 

"  Major  General  Parke  will  cause  the  different  regiments  and 
batteries  of  his  command  to  inscribe  upon  their  banners  and 
guidons,  '  Vicksburg'  and  'Jackson.'" 

This  campaign  in  Mississippi  was  especially  severe  in  its 
effects  upon  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Ninth  Corps.  The  ex- 
cessive heat,  the  malaria  that  settled  like  a  pall  of  death  around 
the  camps  upon  the  Yazoo  river,  the  scarcity  of  water  and  its 
bad  quality,  the  forced  mai-ches  and  the  crowded  condition  of 
the  transports  told  fearfully  upon  the  troops.  All  the  accounts 
of  the  movement  agree  in  their  statements  respecting:  the 
amount  of  disease  and  mortality  which  accompanied  it.  The 
hardships  which  all  were  obliged  to  endure  were  excessive. 
Water,  which  the  horses  refused  to  drink,  the  men  were  obliged 
to  use  in  making  their  coffee.  Fevers,  congestive  chills,  diar- 
rhoea, and  other  diseases  attacked  the  troops.  Many  sank 
down  upon  the  road  side,  and  died  from  sun-stroke  and  sheer 
exhaustion.  The  sickness  that  prevailed  on  board  the  trans- 
ports upon  the  return  voyage  was  terrible  and  almost  universal. 
Nearly  every  night,  as  the  boats  lay  up  on  account  of  low 
water  and  the  consequent  danger  of  the  navigation,  the  twink- 
ling light  oi  the  lanterns  on  shore  betokened  the  movements  of 
the  burial  parties,  as  they  consigned  the  remains  of  some  un- 
fortunate comrade  to  the  earth. 

When  the  troops  reached  Cairo,  the  men  were  scarcely  able 
to  march  through  the  streets.  They  dropped  in  the  ranks, 
and  even  at  the  market  house,  where  the  good  citizens  had 
provided  an  abundant  and  comfortable  meal  for  the  worn-out 
soldiers,  they  fell  beside  the  tables,  and  were  carried  away  to 
the  hospitals.     More  than  half  the   command  were  rendered 


1863.]  CAMPAIGN   IN   MISSISSIPPI.  289 

unfit  for  duty.  There  were  not  able  men  enough  belonging  to 
the  batteries  to  water  and  groom  the  horses.  In  such  circum- 
stances, instances  of  brave,  even  of  heroic  endurance  were  not 
rare,  and  the  soldiers  deserved  the  commendations  which  their 
officers  freely  bestowed.  The  diseases  which  the  campaign 
engendered  continued  to  afflict  their  subjects  long  after  the 
close  of  the  operations.  Many  of  the  officers  and  men  are  suf- 
fering to  this  day  from  the  effects  of  their  unwonted  exposure. 
Some  valuable  lives  were  sacrificed.  Lieutenant  Eli  Went- 
worth,  of  the  6th  New  Hampshire,  died  at  Milldale  on  the  Ya- 
zoo, on  the  18th  of  August.  Assistant  Surgeon  William  H. 
Paine,  of  the  20th  Michigan,  died  on  board  the  transport  in 
the  Mississippi  river,  August  5th,  exhausted  by  his  severe  aud 
trying  duties. 

Brigadier  General  Thomas  Welsh,  the  commander  of  the 
first  division,  contracted  disease  from  which  he  never  recovered. 
On  the  return  of  the  Corps,  he  was  so  reduced  by  sickness  as  to 
be  unable  to  reach  his  home  in  Columbia,  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  carried  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  died  on  the  14th  of  Au- 
gust. He  was  a  very  brave  and  efficient  officer^  and  by  his 
skill  and  courage  won  the  high  encomiums  of  his  superior  offi- 
cers. He  joined  the  service  as  Colonel  of  the  45th  Pennsylva- 
nia regiment,  and  went  through  the  campaigns  at  Port  Royal, 
in  Virginia,  under  General  Pope,  in  Maryland  and  in  Virginia 
a  second  time,  with  great  credit,  gradually  winning  his  pro- 
motion by  his  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct.  Assigned  by 
General  Parke  to  the  command  of  the  first  division,  he  added 
to  his  already  honorable  reputation  as  a  soldier,  and  gave 
promise  of  future  distinction.  Though  not  wholly  in  accord 
with  the  spirit  of  the  times  in  respect  to  the  subject  of  slavery, 
and  not  agreeing  with  the  Administration  in  its  policy  of  Eman- 
cipation, he  was  yet  too  good  a  soldier  to  make  his  opinions  a 
pretext  for  any  want  of  zeal  in  the  service.  He  was  always 
prompt  in  his  obedience  and  always  faithful  and  vigorous  in  his 
discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  position.  Honest,  straightforward 
37 


290  DELIVERANCE    OP   EAST    TENNESSEE.  [July, 

and  fearless,  he  made  himself  felt  in  the  command,  and  his 
death  was  considered  a  loss  to  the  service  which  could  not 
easily  be  supplied.  His  name  is  to  be  added  to  the  list  of  the 
departed  brave  whom  the  Ninth  Corps  has  contributed  to  the 
preservation  of  the  Republic. 


1863.]  JOHN  MORGAN'S   RAID.  291 


CHAPTER    III 


JOHN     MORGAN'S     RAID 


WHEN  General  Lee  moved  from  his  encampments  on 
the  Rappahannock  after,  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville, 
he  had  evidently  given  all  the  troops  in  the  "  Confederacy"  to 
understand  that  it  was  a  signal  for  commencing  an  offensive 
campaign  along  the  entire  line.  The  government  of  Jefferson 
Davis  was  tired  of  being  kept  on  the  defensive,  and  the  inva- 
sion of  Pennsylvania  was  determined  upon.  In  West  Virginia 
and  Kentucky,  the  rebel  force  felt  the  impulse  and  exhibited 
signs  of  unusual  activity.  One  raiding  party  reached  as  far  as 
Maysville,  but  was  there  met  by  Colonel  De  Courcy,  with  four 
regiments  of  cavalry,  and  was  broken  to  pieces  and  driven  off 
in  complete  rout. 

General  Willcox,  who  was  in  command  in  Central  Kentucky, 
had  proposed  a  counter  raid  into  East  Tennessee,  under  Colonel 
W  P  Sanders,  a  very  brave  and  skilful  cavalry  officer.  The 
plan  was  approved,  and  the  necessary  preparations  were  made. 
General  Willcox  was,  however,  transferred  to  the  command  of 
the  district  of  Indiana,  on  the  10th  of  June,  in  order  to  quiet 
some  trouble  which  the  disaffected  and  disloyal  people  in  that 
quarter  were  disposed  to  foment.  General  Willcox  very  dis- 
creetly and  very  effectually  performed  his  delicate  duty,  and 
was  retained  in  that  command.  General  Hartsuff,  succeeding 
him  in  Kentucky,  completed  the  preparations  for  the  raid  and 
Colonel  Sanders  was  soon  upon  the  road.  The  expedition  was 
very  successful.  Colonel  Sanders  struck  the  Virginia  and 
Tennessee  Railroad  at  Loudon,  moved  up  the  road,  destroying 


292  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [JULY, 

portions  of  it  on  the  way,  threatened  Knoxville,  burnt  the  im- 
portant bridge  across  the  Holston  river  at  Strawberry  Plains, 
captured  ten  pieces  of  artillery,  a  great  number  of  small  arms, 
and  four  hundred  prisoners,  and  destroyed  a  large  quantity  of 
the  enemy's  stores.  He  returned  to  our  lines  on  'the  26th, 
having  gained  great  credit  by  his  gallant  and  daring  feat. 
Other  movements  of  troops  took  place,  under  Generals  Julius 
White  and  S.  P  Carter,  in  the  direction  of  Monticello,  to  dis- 
tract the  attention  of  the  enemy  and  to  support  Colonel  San- 
ders's operations. 

But  the  enemy  himself  was  not  inclined  to  accept  the  situa- 
tion quietly.  He  prepared  for  *a,. raid,  whose  magnitude  was 
to  eclipse  all  former  efforts  of  -*th?it  description,  and  to  cause 
considerable  alarm  throughout  the  Department.  The  plan  of 
the  enemy  was  to  break  through  our  lines  in  Western  or  Cen- 
tral Kentucky,  cross  the  Ohio,  plunder  the  southern  tier  of 
counties  of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  either  escape  into  West  Vir- 
ginia, or  make  a  bold  march  through  Pennsylvania,  and  join 
General  Lee's  invading  army.  It  was  a  design  of  considerable 
daring,  and,  had  it  been  successfully  executed,  would  have 
caused  great  trouble  to  our  military  authorities  East  and  West. 
The  time  was  happily  chosen.  The  Ninth  Corps  was  absent. 
The  new  levies  had  hardly  become  thoroughly  accomplished  in 
the  duties  of  the  soldier.  Colonel  Sanders's  raid  had  taken 
away  a  considerable  portion  of  our  cavalry,  that  were  scarcely 
fit  for  arduous  service  upon  their  return.  General  Carter's 
troops  who  had  been  stationed  on  the  Cumberland  had  been 
engaged  in  assisting  Colonel  Sanders.  General  Halleck  had 
unwittingly  done  much  to  cause  a  feeling  of  false  security  to 
prevail  among  the  people  of  the  Department  South  of  the  Ohio, 
by  repeatedly  telegraphing  during  the  -month  of  June,  that 
Kentucky  was  safe,  and  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  a  movement 
into  East  Tennessee.  General  Burnside  might  j)ossibIy  have 
been  disposed  to  feel,  under  the  influence  of  such  despatches, 
that  his  lines  were  more  secure  than  they  really  were.  Even 
as  late  as  the   6th   of  July,  the   General  in   Chief  stated  that 


1863.]  JOHN   MORGAN'S    RAID.  293 

there  was  "  no  need  of  keeping  large  forces  in  Kentucky." 
Had  General  Burnside  listened  too  attentively  to  the  suggestions 
of  his  superior,  instead  of  acting  upon  his  own  more  accurate 
information,  Morgan  would  doubtless  have  had  an  unimpeded 
ride  through  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  would  have  got  safely  off 
with  his  booty.  As  it  was,  the  raid  came  to  a  disastrous  and 
ignominious  end. 

On  the  2d  day  of  July,  General  John  H.  Morgan,  an  intrepid 
and  active  partizan,  with  General  Basil  Duke  as  second,  crossed 
the  Cumberland  river  at  Burkesville  and  its  neighborhood, 
with  a  force  of  four  or  five  thousand  men,*  well  organized, 
mounted,  equipped  and  armed  for  a  long  expedition.  Imme- 
diately upon  receiving  intelligence  of  the  movement  at  head- 
quarters, General  Burnside  took  measures  to  check  the 
advance  of  the  bold  raider,  and  if  possible  to  'cut  off  his  re- 
treat. In  the  confusion  of  the  moment,  our  officers  and  men 
were  hardly  prepared  for  such  an  incursion.  They  rallied  to 
their  work,  however,  as  promptly  as  could  naturally  be  ex- 
pected, but  in  despite  of  their  efforts,  Morgan  succeeded  in 
eluding  the  troops  sent  to  intercept  him,  and  obtained  a  start 
of  forty-eight  hours  in  advance  of  his  pursuers.  Rainy  weather 
came  on,  and  the  roads  became  difficult.  On  the  3d,  in  a 
skirmish  with  one  or  two  companies  of  Colonel  Wolford's  eav- 
alry,  our  men  were  worsted.  On  the  4th,  Morgan  met  with 
different  fortune,  as  he  attempted  to  cross  Green  River  Bridge 
at  Tebb's  Bend,  near  Columbia.  The  post  was  held  by  Colo- 
nel Orlando  H.  Moore,  with  five  companies  of  the  25th  Michi- 
gan infantry.  Colonel  Moore  selected  his  ground  for  defence 
most  judiciously,  and  awaited  the  attack.  Morgan  approached, 
at  half-past  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  demanded  the 
surrender  of  the  force.  Colonel  Moore  replied  with  spirit : 
■"  The  Fourth  of  July  is  not  a  proper  day  for  me  to  entertain 
such  a  proposition."     Morgan  at  once   attacked ;  but  Colonel 


*  This  is  the  estimate  of  our  officers  in  Kentucky.  The  enemy's  statement  is 
that  Morgan  had  "two  thousand  and  twenty-eight  effective  men,  with  four 
pieces  of  artillery." 


294  DELIVERANCE   OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [JULY, 

Moore  showed  that  he  had  not  spoken  without  good  warrant. 
He  and  his  men  made  a  most  gallant  fight  of  three  and  a  half 
hours,  and,  after  an  obstinate  contest,  succeeded  in  beating  off 
the  enemy.  Morgan  was  actually  forced  to  retire,  with  a  loss 
of  over  fifty  killed,  among  whom  were  a  Colonel,  two  Majors, 
five  Captains  and  six  Lieutenants,  and  two  hundred  wounded. 
Our  own  loss,  out  of  two  hundred  men,  was  six  killed  and 
twenty-three  wounded.  The  fight  was  very  spirited.  "  At 
times,  the  enemy  occupied  one  side  of  the  temporary  breast- 
works of  fallen  timber,  while  the  men  of  the  25th  held  the 
other.  After  the  battle,  the  enemy,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  re- 
quested permission  to  bury  his  dead,  which  was  granted. 
For  this  defence,  the  thanks  of  the  Kentucky  Legislature  were 
tendered  unanimously  and  by  acclamation,  to  Colonel  Moore 
and  his  comrades  of  the  26th."* 

On  the  5th  Morgan  attacked  the  garrison  at  Lebanon,  and 
forced  it  to  surrender,  after  a  short  but  desperate  fight.  The 
town  was  plundered.  Thence  moving  to  Springfield,  the  rebel 
chief  divided  his  force,  one  column  threatening  Louisville,  an- 
other Columbia,  and  others  moving  off  towards  Lexington  and 
Frankfort.  But  the  pursuit  had  now  become  well  organized 
and  vigorous.  Generals  Hobson,  Judah  and  Shackleford  formed 
a  junction  with  Colonel  Wolford,  and  the  combined  forces 
formed  a  formidable  array  of  mounted  men,  infantry  and  artillery. 
Morgan  drew  in  his  detached  parties  that  had  been  ravaging 
the  country,  securing  supplies  and  seizing  horses,  and,  uniting 
his  forces,  made  a  bold  push  for  the  Ohio,  by  way  of  Bards- 
town.  Our  pursuit  was  difficult,  as  the  country  was  scoured 
clean  by  the  raiders,  who  secured  fresh  mounts  at  every  point, 
while  our  men  were  compelled  to  do  the  best  they  could  with 
their  jaded  animals.  On  the  7th  the  pursuing  partv  reached 
Bardstown,  and,  pushing  on  to  Shepherds ville,  encamped 
near  that  town  for  the  night.  Morgan  was  now  about  twenty 
hours  ahead  in  this  exciting  race.     He   crossed   Rolling  Fork, 


*  Report  of  Adjutant  General  of  Michigan,  1S63. 


1863.]  JOHN   MORGAN'S    RAID.  295 

burnt  the  bridges  behind  him,  reached  the  Ohio  at  Branden- 
burg at  an  early  hour  on  the  8th,  found  and  captured  two 
steamers  at  the  landing*,  put  his  troops  on  board,  ferried  them 
across  during  that  day  and  night,  and,  having  placed  them  all 
safely  on  the  Indiana  shore,  burnt  his  transports.  Our  forces 
reached  the  bank  just  in  season  to  witness  the  spectacle  of  the 
burning  boats,  and  to  hear  the  derisive  shouts  of  triumph  that 
the  successful  enemy  raised  from  the  opposite  shore. 

The  lower  range  of  counties  in  Indiana  now  seemed  to  lie  at 
the  disposal  of  the  rebel  chief,  and  those  who  sympathized  with 
his  cause  had  the  opportunity  of  learning,  that  even  his  tender 
mercies  were  cruel.  He  burnt  the  town  of  Salem,  destroyed 
the  railroad  bridge  and  track,  and  ravaged  the  neighboring 
region  without  regard  to  friend  or  foe.  For  a  time  he  seemed 
to  conduct  the  affair  with  great  skill.  He  made  the  authorities 
at  Indianapolis  believe  that  he  was  threatening  the  Capital, 
while  he  kept  our  forces  at  Louisville  on  the  qui  vive  by  mak- 
ing feints  of  attempting  a  passage  at  Jeffersonville.  But  Gene- 
ral Burnside  was  by  no  means  idle.  He  disposed  his  available 
forces  in  Kentucky  either  for  defence  or  pursuit,  he  ordered 
the  river  to  be  patrolled  by  the  gunboats  in  his  Department, 
arranged  a  system  of  fortifications  and  defence  for  Louisville,  em- 
ployed the  militia  of  Indiana  and  Ohio  in  conjunction  with  Gov- 
ernors Morton  and  Tod,  aroused  the  people,  stationed  his  im- 
provised forces  in  the  most  advantageous  positions  for  checking 
the  career  of  the  adventurous  raider,  and  urged  on  the  forces 
already  in  pursuit.  Morgan  found  that  his  plans  for  further 
progress  in  ravaging  had  met  with  a  serious  interference,  and, 
when  Generals  Hobson,  Judah  and  Shackleford  had  reached 
the  opposite  bank  on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  with  their  forces 
in  pursuit,  the  rebel  chief  became  seriously  baffled,  and  sought 
only  to  escape  in  safety.  He  fled  through  the  counties  of  Har- 
rison, Jefferson,  Scott,  Ripley  and  Dearborn,  harassed  by  the 
militia.  He  more  than  once  attempted  to  find  a  crossing  place 
into  Kentucky,  but  was  foiled  at  every  point  by  the  vigilance 
of  our  naval  force.     Without  doing  much  damage,  he  reached 


296  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST    TENNESSEE.  [Jul?, 

the  Ohio  line  at  Harrison  on  the  White  Water  river  in  Hamil- 
ton county,  followed  as  closely  as  the  condition  of  the  roads 
would  permit  by  our  indefatigable  cavalry. 

The  following  dates  will  show  his  progress  :  On  the  10th  of 
July  he  was  at  Vernon,  Ind. ;  on  the  12th  near  Versailles  ;  on 
the  13th  one  column  near  Aurora,  and  another  at  Harrison,  and 
on  the  14th  he  crossed  the  Miami  river  at  Miamisville.  At  the 
latter  place,  our  forces  were  but  three  or  four  hours  behind  him. 
Such  dispositions  were  made  at  Hamilton  and  Cincinnati,  as 
effectually  to  secure  the  safety  of  those  two  cities,  and  Morgan, 
passing  to  the  eastward  on  the  night  of  the  13th  and  during 
the  14th,  endeavored  to  reach  the  Ohio  by  way  of  Batavia. 
Again  prevented  and  closely  pressed,  Morgan's  escape  became 
simply  a  question  of  the'comparative  endurance  of  our  men  and 
his  own.  Day  and  night,  through  Sardinia,  Winchester,  Jack- 
son, Jasper,  Pikeston,  Linesville  and  Chester,  the  pursuit  con- 
tinued without  cessation.  The  loyal  people  of  Ohio  turned 
out  to  harass  the  invaders  at  every  cross  road  and  afforded 
every  facility  to  our  troops.  Provisions,  forage,  horses  were 
willingly  furnished,  or, — if  any  reluctance  was  occasionally 
manifested, — were  pressed  into  the  service.  General  Judah 
led  a  column  along  the  river  roads,  Generals  'Hobson  and 
Shackleford  in  the  interior.  A  division  of  small  gunboats  kept 
the  river  itself  on  Morgan's  right  flank,  and  threw  shell  and 
shot  among  his  columns,  whenever  opportunity  offered.  With 
some  difficulty,  the  gunboats  were  warped  over  the  shoals  and: 
forced  up  the  rapids.  The  gallant  officer  in  command,  Lieu- 
tenant Commander  Le  Roy  Pitch,  clearly  understood  the  ex- 
igency and  faithfully  met  its  requirements. 

Eastward  the  flight  and  the  pursuit  continued  through 
Southern  Ohio  until  the  19th  of  July,  when  the  enemy  was 
brought  to  bay  near  Chester  by  our  land  forces.  He  had  pre- 
viously attempted  to  cross  the  river  near  Buffington  Island,  but 
had  been  handsomely  repulsed  and  driven  back  into  the  coun- 
try in  confusion  by  Lieutenant  Commander  Fitch,  leaving 
horses,  carriages,  boots,  shoes,  small  arms  and  the  like,  strewn 


1863.]  JOHN   MORGAN'S   RAID.  297 

along  the  road  and  the  river  bank  in  his  precipitate  retreat.  It 
was  a  smart  fight  and  reflected  great  honor  upon  our  naval 
forces.  The  retirement  of  the  enemy  only  brought  him  face  to 
face  with  his  pursuers. 

General  Shackleford,  who  was  in  immediate  contact  with  the 
enemy,  promptly  formed  his  lines  and  delivered  battle  with 
great  energy.  The  wearied  men  took  new  strength  from  the 
presence  of  the  long  sought  foe,  and  fought  with  remarkable 
gallantry  and  vigor.  An  hour  passed  without  decisive  results, 
when  General  Shackleford  ordered  a  charge.  It  was  bravely 
and  resolutely  made  by  two  regiments  and  one  battalion  of 
Kentucky  troops.  The  2d  and  7th  Ohio  cavalry,  of  General 
Hobson's  command  which  had  now  closed  up,  opened  on  the 
enemy's  rear.  The  8th  and  9th  Michigan  cavalry  charged. 
Colonel  Sanders,  coming  up  with  two  pieces  of  artillery,  threw 
a  few  shells  into  the  midst  of  the  staggering  columns.  General 
Judah  was  operating  vigorously  on  the  flanks.  Surrounded 
on  all  sides,  nothing  was  left  for  the  discomfited  foe  but  to  sur- 
render. A  flag  of  truce  was  immediately  sent  in,  and  Colonel 
Dick  Morgan,  General  Basil  Duke,  and  other  officers  and  men,, 
amounting  to  over  seven  hundred,  with  arms,  horses,  equip- 
ments, and  plunder  became  the  reward  of  that  morning's  con- 
flict. 

But  the  chief  prize,  the  leader  of  the  expedition,  was  yet  at 
large.  The  force  which  had  been  captured  was  only  a  portion 
of  his  command.  General  Shackleford  at  once  pushed  on  to 
overtake  the  remainder.  Fifteen  miles  further,  at  Tupper's 
Plains,  the  enemy  was  found  posted  in  a  dense  forest  and  well 
protected.  An  attack  was  impracticable  for  that  day,  and  the 
command  was  engaged  in  hunting  down  and  capturing  small 
detachments  of  the  raiders,  until  reinforcements  should  arrive. 
During  the  subsequent  night,  however,  the  enemy  managed  to 
escape  and  retreated  down  the  river  in  the  direction  of  Eight 
Mile  Island,  hoping  there  to  cross.  But  Lieutenant  Commander 
Fitch  with  his  gunboats  rendered  such  hope  abortive.  Morgan 
now  turned  into  the  interior,  pursued  by  General  Shackleford,. 
38 


298  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [Jxtly, 

who  followed  him  with  unabating  persistence.  For  fifty-seven 
miles  did  this  energetic  officer  pursue,  until  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  20th,  General  Shackleford,  with  the  aid 
of  Colonel  Wolford  with  the  45th  Ohio  infantry,  had  driven 
the  foe  to  a  high  bluff  near  the  river,  from  which  escape  was 
difficult.  An  unconditional  surrender  was  demanded,  and  forty 
minutes  were  allowed  for  consultation.  During  the  interval, 
Morgan,  with  six  hundred  men,  managed  to  slip  away  unper- 
ceived,  and  the  remainder  of  the  enemy's  force  surrendered. 
The  captures  on  that  day  amounted  to  over  twelve  hundred 
officers  and  men,  with'  their  arms  and  equipments.  General 
Shackleford,  exasperated  by  the  treachery  of  Morgan,  called 
for  volunteers  who  would  be  willing  to  "  stay  in  the  saddle, 
without  eating  and  drinking,"  until  Morgan  was  captured.  A 
thousand  and  more  responded  ;  but,  as  only  five  hundred  horses 
were  found  serviceable,  that  number  of  men  started,  on  the 
morning;  of  the  21st,  determined  to  run  down  the  coveted 
game. 

The  chase  had  become  decidedly  animating  and  highly  in- 
teresting-. For  three  davs  and  three  nitjhts  longer  were 
our  troops  in  hot  pursuit,  until,  on  the  morning  of  the 
24th,  Morgan  was  overtaken  near  Washington,  in  Guernsey 
county,  but  succeeded,  by  destroying  bridges,  in  eluding  our 
forces  and  causing  them  considerable  delay.  Still  General 
Shackleford  was  persevering  and  vigorous,  and  pushed  persist- 
ently on  through  Athens,  Harrison  county,  Springfield  and 
Salem,  Jefferson  county,  capturing  two  hundred  and  thirty  of 
the  enemy  by  the  way.  Major  W  B.  Way,  with  the  9th 
Michigan  cavalry,  after  a  forced  march  of  a  day  .and  night, 
succeeded,  at  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  in 
bringing  Morgan  to  an  engagement  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  Salinesville.  Fighting  continued  for  an  hour  or  more, 
and  resulted  in  scattering  the  enemy  in  all  directions.  The 
enemy  lost  seventy-five  killed  and  wounded,  two  hundred  pris- 
oners, and  one  hundred  and  fifty  horses,  with  equipments  and 


1863.]  JOHN   MORGAN'S    RAID.  299 

arms.  Finally,  General  Shackleford  had  the  extreme  satisfac- 
tion, on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  of  overtaking  Morgan  and 
the  remnant  of  his  command,  about  four  hundred  in  number, 
near  New  Lisbon,  in  Columbiana  county,  and  compelled  them 
to  an  immediate  surrender.  The  rebel  partizan,  with  charao 
teristic  craft,  pretended  to  have  surrendered  himself  to  a  militia 
officer  who  had  paroled  him.  But  as,  in  the  course  of  the  in- 
terview, he  had  expressed  considerable  contempt  for  the  militia 
of  Ohio  which  had  endeavored  to  check  his  career,  and  deemed 
them  of  no  consequence,  General  Shackleford  rightly  judged 
his  story  to  be  a  fabrication.  The  prisoner,  therefore,  and  the 
officers  who  accompanied  him,  were  immediately  carried  to 
Cincinnati  and  delivered  over  to  General  Burnside.  The  cap- 
ture of  the  guerilla  chief  was  immediately  reported  to  the 
authorities  at  Washington.  General  Halleck  at  once  ordered 
that  Morgan  and  his  officers  be  placed  in  close  confinement  in 
the  penitentiaries  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  order  was  obeyed, 
and  the  captured  men  were  accordingly  distributed  among  the 
prisons  and  confined  under  the  usual  regulations.  Morgan, 
however,  and  a  few  of  his  officers  succeeded,  at  a  subsequent 
period,  in  escaping,  and,  assisted  by  disloyal  persons  within 
our  lines,  finally  rejoined  his  friends.  But  the  signal  failure 
of  his  raid  had  not  added  to  his  reputation  among  his 
fellow  officers.  He  seems  afterwards  to  have  fallen  into 
some  disgrace,  and  did  not  again  become  in  any  way  promi- 
nent. 

The  admirable  conduct  of  Generals  Hobson,  Judah  and 
Shackleford  and  the  pursuing  party  was  beyond  all  praise. 
The  Governors  of  Indiana  and  Ohio  were  very  efficient  in  their 
dispositions  of  the  militia  of  the  two  States.  The  committees 
of  safety  in  the  different  counties  were  exceedingly  active,  and 
rendered  very  efficient  service.  The  loyal  people  of  Ohio 
turned  out,  and,  by  felling  trees  across  the  roads,  organizing 
in  squads  to  harass  the  fugitives,  and  adopting  such  other 
measures  as  the  emergency  suggested,  gave  valuable  assistance 


300  DELIVERANCF   OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [JULY, 

to  the  parties  in  pursuit.  Occasionally,  the  militia  showed 
signs  of  faltering  and  fear,  but,  in  general,  they  were  very 
prompt  and  effective. 

General  Scammon,  whom  we  have  already  seen  at  South 
Mountain  and  Antietam,  was  now  in  command  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  kept  his  command  well  posted  to  prevent  the  escape  of 
Morgan.  The  naval  forces  did  incalculable  service.  Lieuten- 
ant Commander  Fitch,  with  the  few  boats. which  he  had  for  a 
nucleus,  organized  an  impromptu  squadron,  and,  placing  a  gun 
or  two  and  a  few  men  on  every  boat  that  he  could  use,  suc- 
ceeded in  guarding  the  river  most  thoroughly,  and  in  thwart- 
ing every  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  cross  into  Kentucky  or  West 
Virginia.  The  battle  of  Buffington  Island  and  Chester  was 
doubtless  the  crisis  of  the  pursuit,  and  in  this  affair,  our  land 
and  naval  forces  were  equally  conspicuous  and  gained  an  equal 
glory.  In  fine,  all  the  subordinate  officers  and  men  were  zeal- 
ous, energetic  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  Ivery  duty. 
But  the  guiding  mind  of  the  pursuit  was  that  of  the  commander 
of  the  Department.  From  the  first  rupture  of  his  lines  until 
the  capture  of  Morgan,  he  was  on  the  alert,  active  in  disposing 
his  forces,  in  furnishing  fresh  relays  of  horses  and  men,  in  push- 
ing on  the  pursuit,  in  arranging  his  river  guards,  in  corres- 
ponding with  the  authorities  along  the  route  of  the  guerilla 
chief,  in  communicating  with  the  commanding  officers  of  the 
neighboring  Departments,  in  warning,  encouraging  and  im- 
pelling all  whom  he  could  reach.  Though  suffering  at  the 
time  from  an  illness  which  was  peculiarly  enervating,  his  en- 
ergies seemed  inexhaustible.  So  effectual  were  the  measures 
which  were  adopted  and  executed,  as  to  confine  the  track  of 
the  rebel  raider  to  the  belt  of  counties  flying  along  the  river 
bank,  and  at  last  to  bring  his  expedition  to  a  most  disgraceful 
end.  Very  few  of  those  who  first  crossed  the  Cumberland 
with  high  and  hopeful  hearts,  succeeded  in  returning  to  the 
enemy's  lines.  Many  of  them  were  killed  and  disabled.  Most 
of  ■their  plunder  was  recaptured.     No   expedition   of  the   kind 


1863.]  JOHN  MORGAN'S   RAID.  301 

on  either  side  during  the  war  was  so  effectually  and  completely- 
brought  to  nought.  The  capture  of  the  rebel  partizan  and  his 
men  was  an  exploit  for  which  General  Burnside,  his  subordi- 
nate officers  and  his  troops  well  deserved  the  thanks  of  their 
countrymen,  for  their  vigilance,  persistence  and  fidelity. 


302  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [July, 


CHAPTER   IV 


OVER     THE     MOUNTAINS 


TjlOR  East  Tennessee  at  last !  The  raid  of  General  Morgan 
_JJ  had  somewhat  disturbed  the  plans  of  General  Burnside, 
but  immediately  upon  its  defeat  and  conclusion,  the  campaign 
against  the  enemy  in  Knoxville  was  commenced.  General 
Burnside  had  hoped  that,  upon  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  the 
Ninth  Corps  would  be  ordered  back  to  the  Department  of  the 
Ohio.  Such  had  been  the  repeated  promise  of  the  authorities 
at  Washington.  But,  as  has  already  been  perceived,  the 
promise  could  not  well  be  fulfilled,  while  General  Grant  needed 
the  services  of  the  corps  to  operate  against  the  forces  of  Gen- 
eral Johnston.  It  is  true  that  the  movement  upon  Jackson 
resulted  in  little  except  to  inflict  great  losses  upon  our  troops 
in  the  diseases  which  were  caused  by  the  rapid  marches  of  the 
campaign.  But,  as  it  was  thought  necessary  to  place  the  safety 
of  Vicksburg  beyond  even  the  shadow  of  a  doubt,  our  officers 
and  men  acquiesced  in  the  operations  with  a  steadfast  loyalty, 
and  endured  the  terrible  hardships  of  the  campaign  with  a  he- 
roic patience.  Before  the  arrival  of  the  Ninth  Corps  in  Ken- 
tucky, the  movement  over  the  mountains  had  been  arranged, 
and  actually  commenced.  But  even  if  this  had  not  been  the 
case,  the  troops  were  in  no  suitable  condition  to  join  the  ad- 
vancing columns.  They  required  rest  and  recuperation.  Gen- 
eral Burnside  must  accomplish  his  great  task .  without  the  aid, 
at  first,  of  the  tried  and  bronzed  veterans  who  had  proved  their 
valor,  devotion  and  patriotism  on  so  many  ensanguined  fields. 
It  was  with  the  troops  of  the  twenty-third  corps,  reenforced 
by  some  fresh  levies  made  in  Kentucky,  East  Tennessee  itself, 


1863.]  OVER   THE   MOUNTAINS.  303 

and  the  States  North  of  the  Ohio,  that  the  advance  was  to  be 
made.  The  troops  of  the  Ninth,  as  fast  as  they  arrived,  were 
brought  down  towards  the  frontier  and  distributed  at  the 
proper  points,  that  they  might  be  sent  forward  as  reinforce- 
ments when  their  presence  was  required. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  war,  East  Tennessee  had 
been  a  prominent  point  in  the  calculations  and  plans  of  both 
the  contending  parties.  Its  occupation  was  a  matter  of  prime 
importance.  Lying  in  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee  and  Holston 
rivers,  between  the  lofty  and  difficult  range  of  the  Cumberland 
mountains  on  the  north  and  west,  and^  the  Blue  Ridge,  with  its 
outlying  spurs  and  ranges  composed  of  the  Stone,  Bald,  Smoky 
and  Iron  mountains  on  the  south  and  east,  it  was  easily  de- 
fensible by  the  rebels,  while  it  contained  the  great  line  of  com- 
munication between  their  left  and  right  flanks — the  Virginia 
and  Tennessee  Railroad.  While  this  road  remained  intact, 
there  was  an  unbroken  and  continuous  connection  between  the 
two  grand  armies  of  the  enemy,  under  General  Bragg  in  the 
West  and  General  Lee  in  the  East.  In  the  rear  of  the  rail- 
road lay  the  comparatively  prosperous  communities  of  the  in- 
terior of  the  Gulf  States  and  the  Cai'olinas,  as  yet  unvisited  by 
the  devastations  of  the  war. 

East  Tennessee  Was  also  the  home  of  a  most  loyal  commu- 
nity. All  the  best  and  leading  men  in  the  district  were  firm 
supporters  of  the  Federal  Government,  and  a  large  majority  of 
the  people  were  prompt  to  follow  their  guidance.  But  the  pe- 
culiar position  of  the  country,  isolated  as  it  was  from  the  North, 
and  held  by  the  large  armies  of  the  rebel  "  Confederacy," 
placed  these  loyal  men  at  the  mercy  of  their  inveterate  foes. 
Some  were  driven  off,  and  compelled  as  refugees  to  procure  a 
precarious  subsistence  from  their  Northern  allies.  Some  were 
imprisoned  and  maltreated  in  the  most  barbarous  and  cruel 
manner.  Some  were  tortured,  others  murdered,  and  others 
hung  by  the  rebel  authorities  and  their  cruel  subordinates. 
The  history  of  this  unfortunate  war  contains  no  sadder  chapters 
than  those  which  narrate  the  atrocities  that  were  inflicted  upon 


304  DELIVERANCE   OP   EAST   TENNESSEE..  [AUGTTST, 

the  loyal  people  of  East  Tennessee.  Whether  the  authorities 
at  Kichmond  were  responsible  for  these  dreadful  wrongs,  or 
the  officers  in  immediate  command,  acting  under  the  influence 
of  their  brief  authority,  were  disposed  to  allow  their  •  personal 
hatreds  full  exercise,  the  fact  remains  clear  and  indisputable. 
No  people  were  so  mercilessly  treated  as  these.  No  region 
became  the  scene  of  so  much  horror.  Yet,  amidst  all  their  ca- 
lamities and  wrongs,  the  East  Tennesseeans  preserved  their 
loyalty  unshaken,  and  looked  eagerly  forward  to  the  time  when 
the  advancing  armies  of  the  Union  should  give  them  their  de- 
liverance, and  their  opportunity  for  revenge. 

The  succor  of  these  unfortunate  victims  of  rebel  rage,  no  less 
than  the  rupture   of  the  rebel  lines,  had  long  engaged  the  at- 
tention of  the  government.     The  occupation  of  East  Tennessee 
by  the  Union  armies  would  at  once  deliver  the  loyalists  there, 
and  would  deal  a  staggering  blow  to  the  insurgent  power.     It 
would  in  effect  become  a  bisection  of  the  "  Confederacy,"  and 
would  be  a  necessary  preliminary  to  the  triumphant  advance 
of  the  national  flag  through  all  parts  of  the  South.     Were  East 
Tennessee  regained  and  permanently  held,  the  result  of  the 
war  would  be  no  longer  doubtful.     The  success  of  the  Union 
would  be  placed   beyond   a   question.     The   work  of  opening 
this  region  devolved  upon  General  Burnside  and  General  Eose- 
crans.     To  the  former  was  given  the  task  of  proceeding  directly 
into   East   Tennessee  ;  to  the  latter  that  of  marching   on  to 
Chatanooga,  demonstrating   towards   Atlanta.     General  Bose- 
crans,  during  the  summer,  had  pushed  his  lines  forward  as  far 
as  Winchester  and  the  banks  of  the  Elk  river,  and  there  made 
further  preparations   for   prosecuting  his  campaign.     On  the 
16th  of  August,  he  advanced  across  the  Cumberland  mountains, 
reached  the  Tennessee  river  on  the  20th,  established  his  head- 
quarters at  Stevenson,  Alabama,    and  prepared  for   a  further 
advance.     On  the  9th  of  September,  General  Crittenden's  corps 
of  his  army  occupied  Chatanooga,  and  pressed  forward  in  pur- 
suit of  the  retreating  enemy. 

Meanwhile,  General  Burnside  had  rapidly  performed  his  por- 


1863.]  OVER   THE    MOUNTAINS.  305 

tion  of  the  work.  On  the  16th  of  August,  the  very  day  of  the 
departure  of  General  Eosecrans  from  Winchester,  General 
Burnside  started  from  Lexington.  The  route  which  he  had 
chosen  for  his  own  march  lay  through  Crab  Orchard,  Mount 
Vernon,  London  and  Williamsburg,  with  other  columns,  under 
command  of  General  Hartsuff,  moving  on  his  right  flank  by 
way  of  Tompkinsville,  Albany  and  Somerset,  and  a  column  of 
cavalry  under  Colonel  Foster  upon  the  left,  to  march  directly 
upon  Knoxville  by  way  of  Jacksboro'  The  design  was  to 
cross  the  mountains  by  Unfrequented  roads,  and  even  by  those 
hitherto  deemed  impassable  by  a  large  army,  and  therefore  left 
undefended  by  the  rebel  forces.  This  would  introduce  an  army 
into  East  Tennessee  to  the  surprise  of  the  commanding  general 
there,  force  his  surrender  or  the  evacuation  of  the  position,  and 
give  our  own  forces  an  undisturbed  possession  of  the  entire  re- 
gion. The  design  was  admirably  carried  out.  Sending  a  force, 
under  Colonel  De  Courcy,  to  take  position  in  front  of  Cumber- 
land Gap  and  occupy  the  attention  of  the  enemy,  General  Burn- 
side  crossed  the  Cumberland  mountains  at  the  more  westerly 
gaps.  It  was  a  work  of  extreme  difficulty  and  was  performed 
with  great  rapidity,  considering  the  obstacles  which  were  over- 
come. Preparations  had  been  made  for  forced  marching  and 
ready  fighting.  The  troops  were  in  light  marching  order.  All 
unnecessary  impediments  were  cast  aside.  Pack  mules  were  pro- 
cured for  the  transportation  of  supplies.  A  part  of  the  army 
was  mounted.  Wagon  trains  were  to  follow  on  the  more  ac- 
cessible roads,  while  the  troops  on  foot  and  on  horseback  clam- 
bered the  heights. 

On  the  21st  of  August,  General  Burnside  left  Crab  Orchard, 
and  then  followed  fourteen  days  of  as  hard  marching  as  was 
done  by  any  army  in  the  course  of  the  war.  The  soldiers 
climbed  the  rugged  ways  with  indomitable  persistence  and 
courage.  The  horses  and  mules  connected  with  the  army  were 
tasked  to- their  utmost,  and  many  of  them  gave  out  exhausted 
by  the  severities  of  the  march.  In  several  instances,  the  ani- 
mals utterly  failed  to  drag  the  artillery  up  the  acclivities,  and 
39 


306  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [August, 

their  places  were  filled  by  men,  who,  with  hands  upon  the  drag 
ropes  and  shoulders  to  the  wheels,  dragged  or  lifted  guns, 
caissons  and  wagons  from  height  to  height.  The  road  was  in 
some  places  strewn  with  the  fragments  of  the  broken  vehicles 
and  harness.  But  the  soldiers  were  in  good  heart  and  cheerful 
spirits.  Their  commander  knew  not  what  it  was  to  yield,  and 
together  they  surmounted  every  difficulty.  Crossing  the  sum- 
mit, they  easily  descended  into  the  plain  below,  and  stood  at 
last  the  conquerors  of  East  Tennessee  without  a  battle.  A 
little  skirmishing  upon  the  road  was  all  that  betokened  the 
nearness  of  an  enemy.  The  rebel  General  Buckner,  surprised 
by  the  suddenness  of  the  advance,  bewildered  by  the  strange 
appearance  of  a  large  army,  as  though  it  had  dropped  from 
the  clouds  into  the  midst  of  his  lines,  and  exaggerating  the 
forces  as  they  approached  by  different  roads,  immediately  evac- 
uated the  region,  retreated  and  joined  General  Bragg,  actually 
leaving  the  garrison  at  Cumberland  Gap  without  orders  or  even 
information  of  his  movement.  A  portion  of  the  rear  guard  was 
encountered  by  our  cavalry,  under  General  Shackleford,  near 
Loudon,  but  succeeded  in  escaping,  after  burning  an  important 
bridge  at  that  point.  General  Burnside,  after  a  march  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  fourteen  days,  found  himself  com- 
pletely master  of  the  situation. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  well  to  place  this  inarch  across  the  Cum- 
berland mountains  more  in  detail  before  the  mind  of  the  reader. 
The  army  of  General  Burnside,  at  the  time,  was  composed  of 
about  eighteen  thousand  men.  These  were  divided  into  five 
columns.  The  first  marched  from  Glasgow,  by  way  of  Tomp- 
kinsville,  Ky.,  to  Livingston  and  Jamestown,  Tenn.  ;  the*  sec- 
ond from  Columbia,  by  way  of  Creelsboro'  and  Albany,  Ky., 
to  Jamestown,  Tenn.,  there  joining  the  first;  the  third  from 
Somerset,  Ky.,  to  Chitwoods,  Huntsville  and  Montgomery, 
Tenn.,  where  it  was  joined  by  the  first  and  second;  the  fourth, 
which  the  commanding  general  accompanied,  from  Mount  Ver- 
non, by  way  of  London  and  Williamsburg,  Ky.,  over  the  Jel- 
lico    mountains    to    Chitwoods,     Huntsville  —  demonstrating 


1863.]  OVER   THE   MOUNTAINS.  307 

towards  Big  Creek  Gap — arid  Montgomery,  Tenn.,  where  the 
four  columns  formed  a  junction  and  pushed  rapidly  forward  to 
Kingston.  The  fifth  column,  composed  of  cavalry,  marched 
from  Williamsburg  directly  on  Jacksboro',  passing  through 
Wheeler's  Gap,  and  occupied  Knoxville  on  the  same  day  upon 
which  the  infantry  reached  Kingston.  Headquarters  were  at 
Crab  Orchard  on  the  21st  of  August ;  at  Mount  Vernon  on 
the  22d ;  at  London  on  the  24th  ;  at  Williamsburg  on  the  25th ; 
at  Chitwoods  on  the  26th,  27th  and  28th,  delayed  by  the  non- 
arrival  of  the  supporting  columns  from  Glasgow  and  Columbia, 
and  of  the  supply  trains  ;  at  Montgomery  on  the  30th  ;  at 
Kingston  on  the  1st  of  September ;  and  at  Knoxville  on  the 
3d  of  September. 

Placing  out  of  view  the  hardships  of  the  road,  the  march 
over  the  mountains  was  not  without  beauty  and  pictm-esque- 
ness.  One  officer*  declared  it  to  be  "  the  most  beautiful  march 
•of  the  war."  The  scenery  of  Tennessee  has  many  attractive 
points.  The  mountains  are  not  too  high,  and,  seen  at  a  dis- 
tance, their  lines  are  harmonious  and  graceful.  The  valleys 
are  green,  fruitful  and,  in  some  instances,  of  enchanting  loveli- 
ness. The  route  travelled  by  the  army  lay  through  portions 
of  the  State  that  presented  alternate  beauty  and  wildness,  and, 
as  the  troops  emerged  from  the  fastnesses  of  the  mountain 
range,  the  valley  of  East  Tennessee  lay  at  their  feet  in  all  the 
luxuriance  &nd  mellowness  of  the  early  autumn. 

But  there  was  other  business  in  hand  than  the  enjoyment  of 
the  pictures  which  Nature  offered  to  the  contemplative  eye. 
General  Burnside  entered  East  Tennessee  as  the  deliverer  of  a 
cruelly  treated  and  long  suffering  people.  He  was  received  as 
such.  The  troops  were  everywhere  greeted  with  joyful  accla- 
mations. They  were  overwhelmed  with  kindness,  and  a  gen- 
erous welcome  was  offered  them  on  all  sides.  The  old  flag;, 
concealed  under  carpets,  between  mattrasses,  buried  in  the 
earth  itself,  was  taken  from  its  hiding  place  and  floated  to  the 

*  Captain  "VV   H.  Harris. 


308  DELIVEEANCE   OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.    [Sbptembee, 

breeze  from  every  staff.  "  Bless  the  Lord  !  the  Yankees  have 
come  !"  "  The  old  flag's  come  back  to  Tennessee  !"  were  the 
shouts  that  gave  expression  to  the  people's  abounding  joy. 
Gray-haired  men,  with  tears  streaming  down  their  cheeks, 
women  who  had  lost  their  all,  children  whose  tender  age  had 
not  escaped  the  cruelty  of  the  rebel  rule,  came  forth  to  greet 
the  General  and  his  officers  at  every  turn,  and  to  express  their 
gratitude  for  the  redemption  which  he  had  brought. 

Dr.  William  H.  Church,  of  General  Burnside's  staff,  in  a 
communication  published  at  the  time,  gives  a  very  interesting 
account  of  the  reception  of  the  troops.  "  The  East  Tennessee 
troops,"  he  writes,  "  of  whom  General  Burnside  had  a  con- 
siderable number,  were  kept  constantly  in  the  advance,  and 
were  received  with  expressions  of  the  profoundest  gratitude 
by  the  people.  There  were  many  thrilling  scenes  of  the  meet- 
ing of  our  East  Tennessee  soldiers  with  therr  families,  from 
whom  they  had  been  so  long  separated.  The  East  Tennessee- 
ans  were  so  glad  to  see  our  soldiers  that  they  cooked  every 
thing  they  had  and  gave  it  to  them  freely,  not  asking  pay 
and  apparently  not  thinking  of  it.  Women  stood  by  the  road- 
side with  pails  of  water  and  displayed  Union  flags.  The  won- 
der was  where  all  the  stars  and  stripes  came  from.  Knoxville 
was  radiant  with  flags.  At  a  point  on  the  road  from  Kings- 
ton to  Knoxville,  seventy  women  and  girls  stood  by  the  road- 
side waving  Union  flags,  and  shouting :  '  Hurrah  for  the 
Union.5  Old  ladies  rushed  out  of  their  houses  and  wanted  to 
see  General  Burnside  and  shake  hands  with  him,  and  cried : 
'  Welcome,  General  Burnside,  welcome  to  East  Tennessee  I '  "* 
The  people  felt  that  it  was  the  time  of  their  deliverance.  It 
was  also  a  time  for  action.  They  begged  for  arms,  that  they 
might  join  our  forces  and  drive  from  their  land  the  oppressors 
whose  tyranny  had  lasted  already  too  long.  General  Buck- 
ner  was  only  too  willing  to  escape  before  the  swelling  tide 
of  popular  indignation  should  rise  and  overwhelm  him  with 
its  surges. 


Ilebolliuu  Becord,.Vol.  VII.,  pp.  407-8. 


1863.J  OVER   THE   MOUNTAINS.  309 

On  the  1st  of  September,  General  Burnside  entered  Kings- 
ton unopposed,  and  on  the  same  day  Colonel  Foster  with  his 
cavalry  occupied  Knoxville  without  resistance.  General  Burn- 
side,  scarcely  waiting  for  the  thanks  of  an  emancipated  people, 
left  Kingston,  and  passing  through  Lenoir's  on  the  2d,  entered 
Knoxville,  the  objective  point  of  his  march,  on  the  3d.  of  Sep- 
tember. A  considerable  amount  of  public  property,  an  arse- 
nal, machine  shop,  cars,  locomotives,  pikes,  &c,  fell  into  his 
hands.  From  that  day  the  rebel  rule  in  East  Tennessee  was 
ended,  the  great  Western  line  of  rebel  communication  was 
taken  from  the  hands  that  had  abused  its  facilities,  and  the 
power  of  the  Union  became  supreme.  The  frantic  and  des- 
perate attempts  which  the  rebels  subsequently  made  to  regain 
their  lost  authority  were  all  completely  foiled.  Their  season 
of  triumph  had  passed.     Their  doom, was  sealed. 

It  was  no  matter  of  surprise,  therefore,  that  General  Burn- 
side  and  his  troops  who  had  thus  successfully  carried  out  this 
great  enterprise,  should  be  welcomed  at  Knoxville  with  a  joy 
which  baffles  all  attempt  at  description.  Their  progress  had 
already  been  a  complete  ovation.  But  here  the  people  seemed 
to  surpass  all  former  demonstrations.  An  hour  like  that  com- 
pensated for  all  the  toils  and  anxieties  of  the  wearisome  march. 
As  the  general  sought  his  quarters  at  the  close  of  the  day.  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  feeling,  that  he  rested  in  the  midst  of 
as  loyal  a  people  as  could  be  found  in  the  land,  who  looked 
upon  him  as  their  saviour  from  the  terrible  and  grinding  des- 
potism of  the  insurgent  government.  East  Tennessee  was 
now  free,  and  he  who  had  restored  her  liberty  was  the  almost 
idolized  commander  of  the  army  of  the  Ohio.  The  joy  of 
such  a  triumph  might  well  repay  for  the  disappointment  and 
defeat  at  Fredericksburg ! 

In  the  meantime  the  garrison  at  Cumberland  Gap  under 
General  Frazer  had  fallen  into  direful  straits.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  4th  of  September,  General  Shackleford  was  sent 
f  jrward  from  Knoxville  to  assist  in  capturing  the  garrison  and 
occupying  the  Gap,  and  on  the  7th  General  Burnside  left  Knox- 


310  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.    [Septembek, 

ville,  with  infantry  and  artillery,  to  assume  a  personal  direc- 
tion of  the  enterprise.  A  forced  march  of  sixty  miles  was  made 
in  two  days,  and  on  the  9th  General  Burnside  put  his  forces 
in  position,  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  post.  Colonel 
De  Courcy  and  General  Shackleford  had  previously  made  the 
same  demand,  and  had  been  refused.  But  the  army  now  op- 
posing the  rebel  commander  was  not  to  be  trifled  with.  Gen- 
eral Frazer  endeavored  to  secure  mild  terms.  General  Burnside 
insisted  upon  an  unconditional  surrender.  The  rebel  officer 
finding  resistance  useless  gave  up  the  post  on  the  evening  of  the 
day  of  General  Burnside's  arrival.  The  captures  consisted  of 
a  large  quantity  of  ammunition,  two  thousand  stand  of  small 
arms,  eleven  pieces  of  artillery,  with  their  carriages  and  cais- 
sons   and  twenty-five  hundred  prisoners. 

A  portion  of  the  garrison  was  composed  of  troops  who  'had 
been  taken  on  Roanoke  Island  a  year  and  a  half  before,  and 
now  found  themselves  again  in  the  hands  of  their  former  cap- 
tor. The  loss  in  this  entire  movement  was  but  one  man  killed 
who  fell  at  Tazewell  as  our  advance  was  approaching  Cumber- 
land Gap.  Thus  expeditiously  and  successfully  was  the  great 
enterprise  carried  through.  Never  again  were  East  Tennessee 
and  its  loyal  inhabitants  to  pass  beneath  the  rebel  yoke. 


1863.]  CONQUEST    AND    OCCUPATION.  311 


CHAPTEE   V 

CONQUEST   AND    OCCUPATION. 

/~~^  ENERAL  Bunislde  and  his  troops  had  successfully  oc- 
\Za  upied  the  principal  commanding  points  in  the  section  of 
East  Tennessee  to  which  they  had  been  directed.  What  was 
doing  by  the  cooperative  column  that  was  moving  on  Chatta- 
nooga ?  While  at  Cumberland  Gap,  General  Burnside  received 
the  most  gratifying  intelligence  from  General  Rosecrans. 
Every  thing  had  gone  forward  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner, 
and  so  promising  was  the  situation,  that  it  seemed  as  though 
the  work  of  the  army  of  the  Ohio  had  been  completed.  Gen- 
eral Crittenden  sent  a  despatch  to  General  Burnside  in  terms 
of  exultation  and  victory.  It  was  dated  at  Chattanooga  on 
the  10th,  and  was  written  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
that  day.  Said  General  Crittenden  :  "  I  am  directed  by  the 
General  commanding  the  department  of  the  Cumberland  to 
inform  you,  that  I  am  in  full  possession  of  this  place,  having 
entered  it  yesterday  at  twelve  m.,  without  resistance.  The 
enemy  has  retreated  in  the  direction  of  Rome,  Ga.  ;  the  last 
of  his  force,  cavalry,  having  left  a  few  hours  before  my  arrival. 
At  day  light,  I  make  a  rapid  pursuit  with  my  corps,  and  hope 
that  he  will  be  intercepted  by  the  centre  and  right,  the  latter 
of  which  was  at  Rome.  The  general  commanding  department 
requests  that  you  move  down  your  cavalry  and  occupy  the 
country  recently  covered  by  Colonel  Minty,  who  will  report 
particulars  to  you  and  who  has  been  ordered  to  cross  the  river." 
From  this  despatch,  General  Burnside  naturally  concluded, 
that  General  Rosecrans  was  making  a  very  satisfactory  and  in- 
deed an  uninterrupted  progress.     If  the  enemy  had  been  driven 


312  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.     [Septembee, 

as  far  as  Rome,  East  Tennessee  was  safe.  Scarcely  more  was 
needed,  than  to  occupy  the  principal  strategic  points  wiA  suf- 
ficient garrisons.  He  felt  that  such  a  work  as  that  could  as 
well  and  as  easily  be  done  by  any  other  officer,  as  by  himself. 
The  principal  duty  had  been  performed.  Subsequent  events 
proved  that  General  Crittenden  had  written  in  too  enthusiastic 
terms.  The  enemy  had  not  retreated  so  far  as  he  had  thought 
nor  had  our  advance  penetrated  so  far  into  the  enemy's  lines. 
But  General  Burnside  had  nothing  to  guide  -  him  but  the  in- 
formation which  General  Rosecrans  had  sent.  He  was  also 
suffering,  at  the  time,  from  a  severe  attack  of  the  disease  which 
had  prostrated  him  during  the  summer,  and  he  considered 
that  he  required  some  relief  from  his  constant  and  harassing 
duties.  He  had  done  his  work  well  and  he  needed  rest.  He 
therefore  tendered  his  resignation  on  the  10th,  and,  on  the 
following  day,  returned  to  Knoxville.  On  the  12th,  telegraphic 
communication  was  established  with  Washington,  and  on  the 
loth,  General  Burnside  received  from  President  Lincoln  a  kind 
but  decisive  despatch  declining  to  receive  his  resignation.  It 
was  in  the  following  words  :  "  A  thousand  thanks  for  the  late 
successes  you  have  given  us.  We  cannot  allow  you  to  resign, 
until  things  shall  be  a  little  more  settled  in  East  Tennessee." 
General  Burnside  accordingly  proceeded,  without  further  de- 
lay, to  effect  a  more  complete  settlement  of  affairs,  in  the  dis- 
trict which  he  had  wrested  from  the  enemy.  He  had  sent 
troops  up  the  valley  of  the  Holston,  immediately  after  the  oc- 
cupation of  Knoxville,  for  the  purpose  of  dismantling  the 
railroad  or  occupying  it  as  far  as  the  Virginia  line,  and  of 
threatening  the  salt  works  near  Abingdon  in  Virginia.  He 
had  also  stationed  cavalry  at  Kingston  under  Colonel  Byrd, 
who  was  directed  to  communicate  with  the  cavalry  of  General 
Rosecrans.  General  Halleck's  orders  on  the  subject  were  pos- 
itive. On  the  11th,  he  sent  a  despatch  to  General  Burnside 
as  follows  :  "  I  congratulate  you  on  your  success.  Hold  the 
gaps  of  the  North  Carolina  mountains,  the  line  of  the  Holston 
river  or  some  point,  if  there  be  one,  to  prevent  access  from 


1863.]  CONQUEST   AND    OCCUPATION.  313 

Virginia,  and  connect  with  General  Rosecrans,  at  least  with 
your  cavalry.  General  Rosecrans  will  occupy  Dalton,  or 
some  point  on  the  railroad  to  close  all  access  from  Atlanta,  and 
also  the  mountain  passes  in  the  West.  This  being  done,  it 
will  be  determined  whether  the  movable  force  shall  advance 
into  Georgia  and  Alabama  or  into  the  valley  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina." 

In  accordance  with  this  order,  General  Burnside  disposed 
his  troops.  He  put  his  forces  in  motion  to  occupy  the  differ- 
ent points  necessary  to  guard  his  line  of  defence,  the  Holston 
river,  and  to  hold  the  gaps  of  the  North  Carolina  mountains. 
But  these  points  we're  threatened  by  General  Samuel  Jones 
with  a  force  of  ten  thousand  troops,  who  were  vigilant  and 
active.  The  enemy  had  no  intention  of  leaving  East  Tennessee 
in  our  undisputed  possession.  Its  conquest  was  a  severe  loss 
to  him,  and  the  ease  with  which  it  had  been  accomplished  was 
a  source  of  especial  mortification.  He  was  by  no  means  wil- 
ling to  sit  down  quietly  and  submit  to  such  a  derangement  of 
his  lines.  General  Jones  was  therefore  occupied  with  har- 
assing our  outposts  and  carefully  watching  our  lines,  to  take 
advantage  of  any  weakness  or  negligence  on  the  part  of  our 
officers.  It"  was  necessary,  both  for  the  safety  of  our  own 
posts,  and  for  a  thorough  obedience  to  General  Halleck's  or- 
der, to  expel  General  Jones  from  the  Department.  Colonel 
Foster's  brigade  of  cavalry  had  already  been  pushed  out  to 
observe  the  enemy  and  hold  him  in  check.  Colonel  Carter, 
with  his  brigade,  was  acting  in  support  of  Colonel  Foster. 
General  Shackleford  had  the  direction  of  the  entire  cavalry 
force.  General  Hartsuff  was  ordered  to  send  all  his  infantry 
except  Colonel  Gilbert's  brigade,  together  with  Colonel  Wol- 
ford's  cavalry,  to  reenforce  the  troops,  that  were  already  in  the 
presence  of  the  enemy.  General  White's  division  and  all  of 
General  Hascall's  except  Gilbert's  brigade,  were  accordingly 
sent  forward.  The  troops  moved  on  the  13th  and  14th,  and 
made  good  progress  on  their  march  towards  the  threatened 
points.     Every  disposition  was  thus  made  to  guard  a  line  of 

40 


314  DELIVERANCE   OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.     [Sbptembeb, 

one  hundred  and  seventy-six  miles  in  length  from  the  left  of 
General  Eosecrans,  with  whom  General  Bnrnside  was  in  direct 
communication,  nearly  to  the  Virginia  boundary.  The  reader 
can  easily  understand  what  unceasing  vigilance  and  vigor  were 
necessary  to  maintain  this  long  line,  and  to  preserve  an  uninter- 
rupted connection  with  the  cooperating  army. 

But  General  Eosecrans  himself  was  now  in  greater  danger 
than  had  been  supposed,  and  needed  reenforcement.  The  en- 
emy under  General  Bragg  had  not  been  so  completely  discom- 
fited as  had  been  believed.  The  information  sent  by  General 
Eosecrans  was  of  somewhat  too  hopeful  a  character.  It'was 
too  good  to  be  altogether  correct.  The  enemy,  instead  of  re- 
treating into  the  interior  of  Georgia,  was  standing  at  bay  a 
short  distance  beyond  Chattanooga  on  the  line  of  Chickamauga 
creek. 

It  was  known  at  Washington  that  General  Lee  had  sent 
General  Longstreet's  corps  to  the  West  to  reenforce  General 
Bragg,  who  could  thus  prevent  any  further  advance  by  Gen- 
eral Eosecrans,  and  who,  it  was  feared,  might  take  the  offen- 
sive. General  Halleck,  accordingly,  telegraphed  in  all  direc- 
tions, soliciting  aid  for  General  Eosecrans.  The  following 
despatch,  dated  Washington,  Sept.  13th,  went  forward  to  Gen- 
eral Burnside :  "  It  is  important  that  all  the  available  forces 
of  your  command  be  pushed  forward  into  East  Tenneesee. 
All  your  scattered  forces  should  be  concentrated  there.  So 
long  as  you  hold  Tennessee,  Kentucky  is  perfectly  safe.  Move 
down  your  infantry  as  rapidly  as  possible  towards  Chattanooga, 
to  connect  with  Eosecrans.  Bragg  may  merely  hold  the  pas- 
ses of  the  mountains  to  cover  Atlanta,  and  move  his  main  army 
through  Northern  Alabama  to  reach  the  Tennessee  river  and 
turn  Eosecrans'  right  and  cut  off  his  supplies.  In  this  case 
Eosecrans  will  turn  Chattanooga  over  to  you  and  move  to  in- 
tercept Bragg." 

On  the  reception  of  the  above  order,  on  the  evening  of  the 
16th,  General  Burnside  immediately  telegraphed  for  the  Ninth 
Corps  to  move   with  all  possible  despatch  from  its  camping 


1863.]  CONQUEST    AND    OCCUPATION.  315 

grounds  in  Kentucky  to  the  scene  of  action  in  East  Tennessee. 
On  the  morning  of  the  17th,  he  started  in  person  to  overtake 
the  troops  whom  he  had  sent  up  the  valley  in  obedience  to  Gen- 
eral Halleck  s  first  order,  and  to  see  that  they  returned  at  once 
to  Knoxville  and  moved  down  "  towards  Chattanooga,"  in  obe- 
dience to  the  second  order.     Though  he  had  full  confidence  in 
his  subordinates,  he  yet  considered  that  the  emergency  de- 
manded his  personal  supervision.     On  the  14th,  General  Hal- 
leck, now   in  great   alarm,  forwarded  the  following  despatch : 
"  There  are  several  reasons  why  you  should  reenforce  Rose- 
crans  with  all  possible  despatch.     It  is  believed  that  the  ene- 
my will  concentrate  to  give  him  battle.     You  must  be  there  to 
help  him."     General  Burnside  received  this  despatch  at  Mor- 
ristown,  late  on   the   17th,    and   on   the   18th  ordered   all  his 
troops  in  that  quarter  back  to  Knoxville  and  Loudon.      On  the 
19th   General  Rosecrans  was   attacked  with   great  fury   near 
Chickamauga  Creek,  and,  after   a   very  severe   engagement  of 
two  days,  in  which  the   losses  on  both  sides  were  exceedingly 
heavy,  was  obliged  to   withdraw  his   army  within  the  defences 
of  Chattanooga.     The  field  of  battle  was  at  least  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles   distant   from  General   Burnside's  headquar- 
ters, and  nearly  two   hundred  from  his   outposts  in  the  upper 
valley,  and  the  lateness   of  the  hour  at  which  the  orders  from 
General  Halleck  were  received,  rendered  it  impossible  for  Gen- 
eral Burnside  to  reach  the  Chickamauga,  or  even  Chattanooga 
in  season  to  be  of  any  service.     The  contradictory  orders  from 
Washington  were  somewhat  embarrassing.     To  hold  the  line 
of  the  Holston,  to  occupy  East  Tennessee,  to   secure   the   gaps 
of  the  North  Carolina  mountains,   and   to   reenforce   General 
Rosecrans  at  the  same  time,  was  clearly  beyond  General  Burn- 
side's  power.     The  Ninth   Corps   was  moving,  but  no  portion 
of  it  had  yet   made   its   appearance.     Knoxville  could  not  be 
left  without  defence,  for  that  would  be  an  abandonment  of  the 
campaign.     Nevertheless,  General  Burnside  made  his  disposi- 
tions to   aid   his   brother   officer,  and  put  his  troops  in  motion. 
All  were  moving   down  th*e  valley,  except  a   force  of  cavalry 


316  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST    TENNESSEE.     [Septembeb, 

and  infantry,  confronting  the  enemy  at  Carter's  Station  on  the 
Watauga. 

General  Burnside  hastened  up  to  Henderson's  Station  bv 
rail  on  the  20th,  there  took  horse,  and  without  slacking  rein 
rode  to  Carter's,  thirty-six  miles  distant.  On  the  evenino-  of 
the  21st,  he  received  peremptory  orders  from  the  President  to 
join  General  Eosecrans  without  delay.  But  the  enemv  was  in 
front  in  his  entrenchments,  commanding  a  bridge  that  spanned 
the  river  at  that  point.  Should  General  Burnside  attempt  the 
destruction  of  the  bridge,  his  intention  of  withdrawal  would  at 
once  be  revealed.  To  retreat  with  the  bridge  intact  woidd  sub- 
ject him  to  no  little  annoyance  from  the  enemy's  pursuit.  But 
the  order  was  to  go,  and  General  Burnside  had  no  disposition 
to  remain  longer  than  was  absolutely  necessary  The  question 
with  him  was  important,  as  its  answer  involved  the  safety  of 
his  command  and  the  assurance  of  his  obedience.  Should  he 
attack,  or  retire  without  an  engagement  ?  His  best  course  was 
evidently  to  attack.  Preparations  were  immediately  made  for 
that  purpose,  and  the  order  was  given  to  force  the  enemy  s 
lines  at  daylight  on  the  next  morning.  The  2 2d  dawned.  It 
was  discovered  that  the  enemy  had  tied  during  the  night,  has- 
tened by  Colonel  Foster's  cavalry,  that  was  demonstrating  to- 
wards his  rear  :  and,  as  he  fled,  he  had  set  fire  to  the  bridge. 
Additional  combustibles  were  applied  to  ensure  its  destruction, 
the  troops  were  immediately  put  on  the  march,  and  by  noon, 
the  column  was  well  on  its  way  towards  Knoxville.  The  Gen- 
eral and  his  staff  rode  back  to  Henderson  s  Station  during 
that  day  and  night,  met  the  advance  of  the  Xinth  Corps  at 
Morristown  the  next  morning,  and,  late  in  the  evening  of  the 
24th,  arrived  at  Knoxville.  The  troops  were  immediately  con- 
centrated and  put  in  readiness  to  march  to  any  point  where 
their  presence  was  demanded.  Every  exertion  had  been  made 
to  assist  General  Eosecrans.  but  meanwhile  the  battle  had  been 
fought,  and  the  emergency  had  passed. 

Immediately   after   its   arrival  from    Mississippi,   the   Xinth 
Corps  had  been   put   into  camp  in  central   Kentucky,  to  give 


GEW  ROBERT   B.  POTTER. 


1863.]  CONQUEST   AND    OCCUPATION.  317 

the  officers  and  men  the  opportunity  for  recuperation,  and  to 
prepare  them  for  the  operations  in  East  Tennessee.  The  bene- 
ficial effect  of  the  fresh  breezes  of  the  early  autumn  upon  the 
exhausted  soldiers  was  at  once  perceptible.  The  men  soon  re- 
covered their  health,*  tone  and  spirits.  But  little  service  was 
required  of  them,  and,  for  a  week  or  two,  they  enjoyed  the 
ease  and  comfort  of  their  situation  with  great  content.  When 
the  order  came  to  move  into  East  Tennessee,  they  heard  it  with 
eagerness  and  obeyed  it  with  alacrity.  The  old  enthusiasm  re- 
awakened, and  they  trudged  along  the  roads  over  the  moun- 
tains in  the  cheerfullest  mood.  Their  numbers  had  been  greatly 
reduced.  Only  six  thousand  were  fit  for  duty.  But  their  spirit 
was  unbroken,  and  they  were  as  ready  as  ever  before  to  meet 
the  enemy.  General  Willcox  had  been  engaged  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  summer  in  administering  the  affairs  of  the 
Districts  of  Indiana  and  Michigan,  and,  during  the  movement 
into  Tennessee,  had  busied  himself  in  organizing  a  division  of 
reinforcements.*  On  -the  1st  of  October,  he  put  his  command 
on  the  march.  He  reported  for  duty  at  Cumberland  Gap  on 
the  5th  of  that  month,  and  was  immediately  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  forces  in  the  upper  valley,  with  his  headquar- 
ters at  Greenville.  General  Parke  was  made  chief  of  staff  of 
the  army  of  the  Ohio,  and  General  Robert  B.  Potter  was  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  the  corps. 

General  Potter  had  won  a  high  place  in  the  estimation  of  his 
brother  officers  and  of  the  country,  by  his  bravery,  faithfulness 
and  skill.  He  had  entered  the  service  in  1861,  as  Major  of  the 
51st  New  York  Volunteers,  and  these  pages  have  borne  an 
honorable  record  of  his  services  in  every  position  which  he 
filled.  Promoted  by  successive  steps,  he  was  appointed  Briga- 
dier General  soon  after  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  his  com- 
mission dating  March  13,  1863.  From  the  command  of  a 
brigade,  he  soon  passed  to  that  of  a   division,  outranking  his 

*  General  "Willcox's  new  division  consisted  of  the  115th,  116th,  117th  and 
118th  Indiana  Volunteers,  and  12th  Michigan,  21st  Ohio  and  23d  Indiana  batte- 
ries.    He  had  also  two  companies  of  the  3d  Indiana  ravalry. 


318  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.    [Septembbb, 

former  Colonel,  Ferrero,  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  latter 
to  obtain  the  confirmation  of  his  first  appointment  as  Brigadier 
General.*  Although  the  two  officers  had  thus  singularly 
enough  changed  their  relative  positions,  they  ever  cherished 
the  friendliest  feelings  towards  each  other,  and  General  Ferrero 
obeyed  as  gracefully  as  he  had  formerly  commanded.  General 
Potter,  in  the  absence  of  General  Willcox,  was  the  ranking- 
division  commander,  and  accordingly  took  command  of  the 
corps  when  General  Parke  was  transferred  to  another  post  of 
duty.  During  the  time  of  his  command,  he  led  the  corps  with 
great  ability,  and  established  his  military  reputation  beyond  a 
question.  His  subsequent  course  earned  for  him  high  com- 
mendations, and  he  bears  the  scars  of  honorable  wounds  re- 
ceived in  the  gallant  and  faithful  discharge  of  his  duty.  He  is  a 
son  of  the  late  Right  Reverend  Alonzo  Potter,  Bishop  of  Penn- 
sylvania, in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  a  grandson 
of  the  late  Reverend  Doctor  Eliphalet  Nott,  President  of  Union 
College.  He  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  July  16, 1829,  was  edu- 
cated at  Union  College,  but  left  before  graduation.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  war  he  was  a  lawyer  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
having  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  May,  1852. 

After  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  some  correspondence  took 
place  between  Generals  Burnside  and  Halleck,  ending  in  di- 
rections to  General  Burnside  to  maintain  his  position.  Head- 
quarters were  retained  at  Knoxville,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
which  most  of  the  Ninth  Corps  was  posted.  General  White's 
division  of  the  twenty-third  corps  was  sent  to  Loudon.  Colo- 
nel Wolford's  cavalry  reenforced  Colonel  Byrd,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Holston,  who  was  occupied  in  keeping  open  the 
communications  with  General  Rosecrans.  The  important  point 
of  Bull's  Gap  was  held  by  Colonel  Carter's  cavalry,  with  Colo- 
nel Hoskins's  brigade  of  infantry  in  support  at  Morristown. 

General  Burnside,  having  this  force  well  in  hand  and  ready 

*  General  Ferrero  was  reappointed,  after  the  adjournment  of  Congress,  upon 
the  earnest  recommendation  of  General  Burnside  and  others,  and  was  duly 
confirmed  by  the  Senate,  to  date  from  May  6,  1863. 


1863.]  CONQUEST   AND    OCCUPATION.  319 

for  offensive  action,  proposed  to  the  General  in  Chief  a  choice 
of  three  distinct  plans  of  operations.  He  desired  to  perform 
some  active  service  which  would,  as  he  thought,  be  decisive  of 
the  fate  of  the  rebel  army  confronting  General  Eosecrans,  or 
which  would,  at  least,  relieve  that  general  from  his  pent  up  po- 
sition at  Chattanooga.  General  Bragg,  largely  reenforced,  had 
delivered  battle  at  Chickamauga  with  such  energy  as  showed 
that  he  was  an  enemy  not  to  be  despised,  and,  since  that  day 
of  fighting,  had  sat  down,  with  most  provoking  persistence,  in 
front  of  General  Eosecrans,  and,  threatening  his.  right  flank, 
seriously  incommoded  our  troops  at  Chattanooga  in  the  matter 
of  supplies.  General  Burnside's  proposition  took  the  form  of 
a  communication,  dated  at  Knoxville,  September  30th,  and 
was  in  clear  and  decisive  terms,  which  the  reader  can  easily 
comprehend. 

"  My  force  is  now  concentrated  and  in  readiness  to  move  in 
accordance  with  either  of  the  following  plans  : — First  plan : 
To  abandon  the  railroad  and  East  Tennessee,  leaving  the  pres- 
ent force  at  Cumberland  Gap,  and  to  move  down  with  the  re- 
mainder of  the  force,  say  twenty  thousand  men,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Tennessee  river,  through  Kingston,  Washington 
and  Smith's  Cross  Boads,  and  effect  a  junction  with  Eosecrans. 

"  Second  plan  :  To  move  down  along  the  line  of  the  rail- 
road as  an  independent  force,  leaving  a  body  of  troops  at  Cum- 
berland Gap,  another  body  at  Bull's  Gap  and  Eogersville,  to 
cover  Cumberland  Gap  and  watch  the  enemy  in  that  part  of 
the  State,  and  small  garrisons  at  Knoxville  and  Loudon ;  then 
to  attack  the  right  wing  of  the  enemy  about  Cleveland  with, 
say  fifteen  thousand  men,  acting  in  concert  with  Eosecrans  and 
according  to  his  advice. 

"  Third  plan  :  To  move  on  the  south  side  of  the  Tennessee, 
through  Athens,  Columbus  and  Benton,  past  the  right  flank  of 
the  enemy,  sending  a  body  of  cavalry  along  the  railroad,  or  on 
its  west  side,  to  threaten  the  enemy's  flank  and  cover  the 
movement  of  the  main  body,  which,  consisting  of  seven  thou- 
sand infantry  and  five  thousand  cavalry,    will  move  rapidly 


320  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [Octobek, 

down  the  line  of  the  East  Tennessee  and  Georgia  Railroad  to 
Dalton,  destroying  the  enemy's  communications,  sending  a 
cavalry  force  to  Rome  to  destroy  the  machine  works  and  pow- 
der mills  at  that  place  ;  the  main  body  moving  rapidly  on  the 
direct  road  to  Atlanta,  the  rail  road  centre,  and  there  entirely 
destroying  the  enemy's  communications,  breaking  up  the  de- 
pots, &c. — thence  moving  to  some  point  on  the  coast  where 
cover  can  be  obtained,  as  shall  be  agreed  upon  with  you.  It 
is  proposed  to  take  no  trains,  but  to  live  upon  the  country  and 
the  supplies  at  the  enemy's  depots,  destroying  such  as  we  do 
not  use.  If  followed  by  the  enemy,  as  we  undoubtedly  shall 
be,  Rosecrans  will  be  relieved  and  enabled  to  advance,  and, 
from  the  celerity  of  our  movement  and  the  destruction  of 
bridges,  &c,  in  our  rear,  the  chances  of  escaping  material  in- 
jury from  pursuit  are  in  our  favor.  Our  chief  loss  would  prob- 
ably be  in  stragglers.     I  am  in  favor  of  the  last  plan. 

"  All  the  information  that  we  can  derive  from  deserters  and 
citizens  within  the  rebel  lines,  shows  that  the  enemy  suffered 
very  heavy  loss  on  the  19th  and  20th,  and  considers  it  a  drawn 
battle.  If  Rosecrans  is  in  such  position  as  to  hold  his  own  until 
he  receives  help  from  other  quarters,  I  am  satisfied  that  we  can 
hold  this  country  and  do  the  enemy  material  injury  by  operat- 
ing in  the  direction  of  the  rebel  salt  works  and  Lynchburg, 
which  we  were  doing  writh  fair  chances  of  success  when  the 
President's  order  arrived.  A  heavy  force  of  the  enemy,  in- 
fantry, cavalry  and  artillery,  is  pressing  our  forces  down  the 
railroad,  and  is  now  occupying  Jonesboro'  and  Greenville.  We 
will  try  to  stop  them  at  Bull's  Gap.  Inasmuch  as  we  are  now 
ready  to  move,  the  earliest  possible  answer  is  desirable." 

To  the  above  despatch,  General  Halleck  replied  under  date 
of  October  2d  :  "  The  purport  of  all  your  instructions  has 
been  that  you  should  hold  some  point  near  the  upper  end 
of  the  valley,  and  with  all  your  available  force  move  to  the 
assistance  of  Rosecrans.  Since  the  battles  of  Chickamauga  and 
the  wear  of  our  force  to  paper,  you  have  been  repeatedly  told 
that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  form  a  connection  on  the  south 


1863.]  CONQUEST    AND    OCCUPATION.  321 

side  of  the  Tennessee  river,  and  consequently  that  you  ought 
to  march  on  the  north  side.  Rosecrans  has  now  telegraphed 
to  you,  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  join  him  at  Chattanooga, 
.  but  only  to  move  down  to  such  a  position  that  you  can  go  to 
his  assistance  should  he  require  it.  You  are  in  direct  com- 
munication with  Rosecrans  and  can  learn  his  conditions  and 
wants  sooner  than  I  can.  Distant  expeditions  into  Georgia 
are  not  now  contemplated.  The  object  is  to  hold  East  Tenn- 
essee, by  forcing  the  enemy  south  of  the  mountains  and  clos- 
ing the  passes  against  his  return." 

There  was  apparently  some  working  at  cross  purposes  in 
relation  to  affairs  in  East  Tennessee.  General  Halleck,  with  a 
good  theoretical  knowledge  of  the  art  of  war,  had  had  but  a 
very  limited  experience  of  the  actual  movements  of  large  ar- 
mies in  the  field.  The  only  march  that  he  made  during  the 
entire  war  was  from  Pittsburg  landing  to  Corinth,  to  occupy 
a  position  which  the  enemy  evacuated  without  loss.  He  fought 
no  battle,  and  his  conduct  of  an  army  was  distinguished  by 
no  important  incident.  Confined  to  such  a  narrow  practical 
knowledge  of  operations  in  the  field  of  actual  warfare,  it  was 
no  matter  of  surprise,  that  he  .did  not  understand  the  precise 
character  of  the  situation  in  East  Tennessee.  His  orders  were 
contradictory  and  his  plans  confused.  They  required  General 
Burnside  to  divide  his  forces  into  two  weak  divisions,  place 
them  nearly  two  hundred  miles  apart,  and  do  impossibilities 
with  both.  At  one  time  East  Tennessee  was  to  be  held,  at 
another  it  was  to  be  given  up,  and  all  the  troops  crowded 
•within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  post  at  Chattanooga,  where 
supplies  were  already  short,  and  animals  and  men  nearly  at 
the  point  of  starvation.  At  one  time  General  Burnside's  men 
were  to  be  scattered,  and  before  they  had  reached  their  points 
of  destination,  they  were  to  be  concentrated,  without  losing 
their  hold  upon  the  territory  which  they  had  freed  from  the 
enemy.  Again,  the  loyal  people  of  East  Tennessee  were  to  be 
left  to  their  fate,  and  the  country,  with  the  enemy's  line  of 
communication,  to  be  once  more  ccupied  by  the  rebel  forces.     In 

41 


'322  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [Octobee, 

the  midst  of  these  harassing  circumstances,  and  these  conflic- 
ting despatches  and  dispositions,  General  Burnside  not  only 
had  to  check  the  enemy  in  his  threatening  demonstrations  from 
Virginia  and  Northern  Georgia,  but  he  had  also  to  quiet  the 
alarm,  caused  among  the  people  by  an  apprehension  of  the 
return  of  the  despotism,  which  had  so  long  oppressed  them.  If 
General  Burnside  should  now  leave  them,  to  whom  could  they 
turn  for  safety  ?  If,  by  any  inconsiderate  action  or  order  of  the 
General  in  Chief,  the  valley  of  the  Holston  should  be  aban- 
doned and  the  enemy's  troops  again  return,  the  people  might 
well  fear  that  the  very  worst  consequences  would  ensue.  A 
few  thousand  arms  had  indeed  been  distributed  among  the 
loyal  Tennesseeans,  but  what  could  three  or  four  hastily  organ- 
ized regiments  accomplish  against  the  veteran  soldiers  of  the 
rebel  army  ?  A  feeling  of  despondency  began  to  prevail,  as 
though  the  government  of  the  United  States  was  about  to 
relinquish  the  territory  after  having  once  extended  over  it  a  ben- 
eficent rule.  The  President  endeavored  to  rectify  the  mistakes 
of  the  General  in  Chief,  but.  hardly  succeeded  in  his  well 
meant  efforts.  The  defeat  at  Chickamauo-a  emboldened  the 
enemy,  who  was  disposed  at  all  times  to  profit  by  any  error 
upon  our  part.  General  Burnside's  position  was  most  difficult. 
The  President  had  the  fullest  confidence  in  him,  and  did  the 
best  he  could  to  make  the  situation  agreeable  and  the  duty 
easy.  The  people  looked  up  to  him  as  their  deliverer  and 
depended  upon  him  with  a  grateful  trust.  He. had  the  fullest 
faith,  that  East  Tennessee  could  be  held  against  the  enemy's 
most  determined  attacks,  and  he  was  resolved  to  retain  his. 
conquest  and  make  it  productive  of  good  results. 

The  plan  which  General  Burnside  proposed  to  General  Hal- 
leck  had  been  well  considered.  The  third  proposition  in  his 
despatch  of  September  30th,  may  not  have  been  practicable 
then,  and  with  the  small  force  which  he  contemplated  employ- 
ing upon  such  perilous  service.  But  the  careful  reader,  study- 
ing the  successful  and  grand  campaign  of  General  Sherman,- 
a  year  or  more  subsequent  to  that  time,  can  perceive  that  the 


1863.]  CONQUEST   AND    OCCUPATION.  323 

germ  of  such  a  movement  was  contained  in  the  less  conspicu- 
ous plan  of  General  Burnside.  General  Sherman  proved  that 
the  "  Southern  Confederacy  "  was  a  hollow  shell.  Whether 
the  Autumn  of  1863  or  that  of  1864  was  the  proper  time  to 
break  it,  is  of  course  a  matter  of  question.  The  latter  time 
had  indeed  a  condition  which  the  former  did  not  possess  : — 
the  fact,  namely,  that  General  Grant  was  then  General  in 
Chief.  It  had  a  further  condition  —  that  General  Grant 
is  a  thorough  and  accomplished  soldier,  and  confides  in  the 
good  judgment  and  skill  of  his  subordinates. 

General  Rosecrans  was  disposed  to  favor  the  first  of  the  plans 
submitted  to  General  Halleck  and  desired  that  it  might  be 
adopted.  But  the  state  of  affairs  at  Chattanooga  rendered  it 
impracticable.  By  some  disarrangement  of  forces,  the  Quar- 
termaster's department  had  been  unable  fully  to  supply  the 
army  which  General  Rosecrans  already  had  under  his  com- 
mand. The  depots  of  provisions  and  supplies  at  Chattanooga, 
and  along  the*  line  through  Bridgeport  and  Stevenson,  were 
very  poorly  provided,  and  great  difficulties  of  transportation 
existed.  Already  the  horses  and  other  animals  required  for 
the  artillery,  cavalry  and  wagon  trains  were  dying  in  large 
numbers  for  want  of  forage,  and  the  army  itself  was  on  half- 
rations.*  The  addition  of  General  Burnside's  forces  to  those 
already  occupying  the  half-starved  camps  around  Chattanooga 
would  have  increased  the  complications  of  the  case,  and  would 
have  compelled  the  men  of  both  armies  to  endure  great  suffer- 
ings. 

There  was  another  circumstance  to  be  considered  when 
speaking  of  such  concentration.  It  would  have  been  the  com- 
plete loss  of  East  Tennessee.  The  entire  valley  of  the  Hol- 
ston  would  have  been  laid  open  to  the  inroads  of  the  rebel 
troops  from  Virginia,  the  people  would  have  been  subjected 
to  a  renewal  of  the  cruelties  from  which  they  had  been  happily 
freed,  the  position  at  Chattanooga  itself  would  have  been  pres- 


*  General  Halleck's  lieport  for  1863. 


324  DELIVERANCE   OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [Octobee, 

sed  in  front  and  on  both  flanks  to  an  evacuation,  and  the 
Summer's  operations  would,  have  been  frustrated.  While 
General  Burnside  held  Knoxville  and  the  upper  valley,  keep- 
ing free  the  roads  through  Cumberland  and  Big  Creek  Gaps, 
ample  lines  of  retreat  lay  open  in  case  of  disaster.  But,  with 
with  both  armies  at  Chattanooga,  short  of  supplies  and  con- 
fronted and  flanked  by  a  superior  force  of  the  enemy,  defeat 
was  almost  certain.  The  reuniting  of  the  enemy's  broken 
line  of  communication  would  enable  him  to  send  large  bodies 
of  his  troops  from  Virginia  and  give  him  every  advantage. 
Only  one  line  of  retreat  lay  open  for  our  forces  towards  Nashville, 
and  the  enemy,  crossing  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  could  fall 
upon  the  rear  of  our  troops  and  drive  them  in  inglorious  rout  to 
the  line  of  the  Cumberland  river.  Kentucky  would  again  lie 
at  the  mercy  of  the  rebels,  and  the  entire  North  "West  would 
have  been  threatened.  The  occupation  of  Knoxville  and  the 
upper  valley  was  necessary  for  the  prevention  of  such  calami- 
ties. While  our  forces  were  thus  disposed,  the,  further  rein- 
forcement of  General  Bragg  from  Virginia  was  difficult ;  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  General  Eosecrans  was  comparatively  safe 
from  attack.  What  would  have  been  the  consequences,  if  this 
great  avenue  of  communication  had  been  given  up  to  the  enemy, 
it  is  very  easy  to  perceive.  Happily  for  the  Federal  govern- 
ment, General  Burnside  understood  precisely  what  to  do  in  the 
premises,  and-  persisted  in  doing  it.  He  securely  held  the 
railroad  and  the  line  through  Cumberland  Gap.  He  protected 
the  left  flank  of  General  Eosecrans,  and  completely  foiled  the 
rebel  plans  in  that  quarter. 

The  month  ot  October  was  not  prolific  of  great  events  on 
either  side.  The  rebel  General  Wheeler  attempted  a  raid  upon 
the  communications  of  General  Eosecrans,  reached  McMinns- 
ville  and  burnt  a  few  wagons  and  some  stores.  But  the 
cavalry  of  General  Eosecrans  succeeded  in  intercepting  and 
driving  off  the  enemy.  General  Burnside's  cavalry  passing 
farther  down  the  river,  made  our  lines  secure  from  subsequent 
interruption.     On  the  left  of  the   army  of  the   Ohio,,  General 


1863.]  CONQUEST   AND    OCCUPATION.  325 

Jones  again,  became  active.  A  large  force  of  the  enemy  from 
Virginia  was  threatening  our  communications  with  Cumber- 
land Gap,  and  demonstrating  upon  the  south  side  of  the  Hol- 
ston  and  Watauga  rivers.  Since  the  concentration  of  our  own 
troops  at  Knoxville,  the  enemy  had  assumed  a  decidedly  hos- 
tile attitude,  and  it  became  necessary  to  clear  our  left  flank 
from  his  encroachments. 

The  Ninth  Corps,  under  General  Potter,  and  a  considerable 
body  of  cavalry,  under  General  Shackleford,  were  sent  up  the 
valley  during  the  first  week  of  October,  and,  on  the  8th,  were 
joined  by  General  Willcox's  division,  reenforced  by  Colonel 
Hoskins's  brigade,  at  Bull's  Gap.  General  Burnside  himself 
left  Knoxville  on  the  9th,  and  advanced  from  Bull's  Gap  on 
the  10th,  with  the  entire  command.  The  enemy  was  found 
strongly  posted  at  Blue  Springs,  and  disposed  to  receive  battle. 
Colonel  Foster's  brigade  of  cavalry  was  sent  around  to  the  rear 
of  the  enemy's  position,  with  directions  to  occupy  the  road 
upon  which  the  enemy  must  retreat,  at  a  point  near  Bheatown. 
The  main  attack  was  to  be  made  at  the  time  when  Colonel 
Foster  was  supposed  to  be  in  proper  position,  and  meanwhile 
the  attention  of  the  enemy  was  occupied  by  our  skirmishers. 
A  desultory  engagement  was  thus  kept  up  till  about  half-past 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  General  Potter  was  or- 
dered to  move  up  the  Ninth  Corps,  attack,  and,  if  possible, 
break  through  the  enemy's  lines.  At  five  o'clock,  General 
Ferrero's  division,  which  had  been  selected  for  the  attack, 
moved  gallantly  forward  against  the  enemy,  and  by  a  bold  push 
pierced  his  first  line,  and  heavily  pressed  back  his  troops  upon 
the  reserves.  Night  coming  on  put  an  end  to  the  conflict,  and 
our  forces  were  disposed  to  resume  the  battle  upon  the  follow- 
ing day. 

The  enemy,  finding  his  rear  threatened  by  Colonel  Foster's 
movement,  decided  to  withdraw  during  the  night,  leaving  his 
dead  upon  the  field  and  many  of  his  wounded  in  our  hands. 
Colonel  Foster  was  delayed  by  the  roughness  of  the  roads  and 
other  causes,  and  did  not  succeed  in  reaching  his  assigned  posi- 


326  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.  [OCTOBEE, 

tion  in  season  to  intercept  the  retreating  foe.  The  dangerous 
point  was  safely  passed.  But  for  this  untoward  circumstance, 
the  entire  force  of  the  enemy,  with  his  materiel  of  war,  must 
have  fallen  into  General  Burnside's  hands.  But  our  cavalry 
was  early  in  the  saddle,  and  General  Shackleford  with  his 
troops,  made  a  rapid  and  energetic  pursuit,  pushing  the  enemy 
across  the  Watauga  and  beyond  the  Virginia  line,  and  driving 
him  onward  whenever  he  attempted  to  make  a  stand.  General 
Shackleford  continued  on  the  trail  for  several  days,  burning 
six  bridges,  capturing  and  destroying  three  locomotives  and 
thirty  cars,  and  even  proceeding  so  far  as  to  threaten  the  salt 
works  at  Abingdon  and  Saltville.  Our  loss  in  this  engagement 
was  about  one  hundred  killed  and  wounded.  The  enemy  suf- 
fered more  severely,  and  left  in  our  hands  one  hundred  and 
fifty  prisoners. 

On  the  16th,  a  regiment  of  loyal  North  Carolina  troops  cap- 
tured Warm  Springs  and  occupied  Paint  Kock  Gap.  The 
remainder  of  General  Burnside's  troops  were  concentrated  at 
Knoxville  and  Loudon,  picketing  down  to  the  left  of  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  pushing  out  scouts  and  outposts  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Tennessee,  and  clearing  the  country  between 
the  little  Tennessee  and  Hiwassee  rivers.  General  Burnside, 
besides  these  operations,  was  occupied  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  month  in  organizing  his  loyal  East  Tennessee  regiments, 
and  in  preparing  for  the  new  movements  inaugurated  by  the 
advent,  upon  this  interesting  scene,  of  the  successful  soldier 
whose  name  had  already  filled  the  country  in  connection  with 
his  grand  triumph  at  Vicksburg. 


1863.]  SIEGE    OF   KNOXVILLE.  327 


CHAPTEE    VI. 


THE    SIEGE    OE    KXOXVILLE. 


ON  the  18th  of  October,  Major  General  Ulysses  S.  Grant, 
by  order  of  the  President,  assumed  command  of  the 
"Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi,"  composed  of  the  three 
Departments  of  the  Ohio,  the  Cumberland  and  the  Tennessee. 
The  changes  that  had  taken  place  upon  the  military  chess 
board  required  more  concentration  of  command,  especially  in 
the  West.  As  many  as  four  different  armies  were  operating 
upon  the  soil  of  Tennessee,  and  to  ensure  their  efficient  co- 
ordinate action,  a  single  head  was  required.  General  Grant's 
merit  and  distinguished  service  pointed  him  out  as  the  most 
suitable  for  such  command. 

Operations  in  this  quarter  were  now  almost  solely  occupying 
public  attention.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac,  after  the  battle 
of  Gettysburg,  had  contented  itself  with  quietly  following  Gen- 
eral Lee's  retreating  forces  to  the  line  of  the  Eapidan,  where 
the  two  armies,  with  an  occasional  episode  of  conflict,  subsided 
into  comparative  quiet.  General  Hooker  was  despatched  with 
two  corps — the  eleventh  and  twelfth — to  the  aid  of  General 
Eosecrans  on  the  one  side.  On  the  other,  General  Longstreet 
had  been  sent  westward  by  General  Lee  with  a  large  reen- 
forcement,  and  had  even  joined  General  Bragg  in  season  to 
take  a  prominent  and  active  part  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
General  Grant  was  returning;  from  the  successful  sie.a;e  of 
Vicksburg.  General  Parke,  with  the  Ninth  Corps,  had  already 
reached  Knoxville,  and  General   Sherman,  with  the  fifteenth 


328  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.         [Octobbe, 

corps,  was  marching  across  the  country  from  Memphis.  It 
seemed  as  though  the  chief  struggle  of  the  war  was  impending 
among  the  mountainous  regions  of  northern  Georgia  and  East 
Tennessee.  The  two  great  combatants  appeared  to  feel  the 
importance  of  the  occasion,  and  each  prepared  to  do  his  utmost. 
While  the  East  lay  comparatively  quiescent,  the  West  was  to 
become  the  scene  of  the  contest  of  giants. 

General  Grant,  upon  his  advent,  made  a  few  changes  in  his 
Military  Division.  General  Burnside  was  retained  in  his  com- 
mand at  Knoxville.  General  Sherman  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  the  Department  of  the  Tennessee,  General  .Rose- 
crans  was  relieved  and  General  Thomas  was  appointed  in  his 
place,  to  command  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland.  Un- 
der such  able  guidance,  the  country  looked  with  confidence  to 
a  successful  result  of  the  autumnal  operations.  The  well- 
grounded  hopes  of  the  public  were  not  destined  to  disappoint- 
ment. General  Grant  repaired  in  person  to  Chattanooga,  and, 
bringing  up  General  Hooker  with  his  command,  speedily  re- 
lieved the  force  there  by  pressing  back  the  enemy  from  the 
Tennessee  river  beyond  the  passes  of  the  overhanging  moun- 
tains. .General  Sherman  restored  the  communications  with  the 
Mississippi  river.  General  Burnside  held  the  line  of  the  Ten- 
nessee on  General  Grant's  left  flank,  from  Knoxville  down  to 
Washington,  with  his  communications  northward  through 
Cumberland  Gap  well  guarded.  In  this  position,  the  further 
developments  of  the  campaign  were  awaited  with  undiminished 
trust. 

In  General  Burnside's  immediate  front,  indications  of  the 
enemy's  approach  began  to  be  perceived  as  early  as  the  middle 
of  October.  General  Bragg,  having  been  forced  back  from 
his  position  before  Chattanooga,  extended  his  right  flank  beyond 
Cleveland,  and  finally  decided  to  detach  General  Longstreet  to 
attack  General  Burnside,  and  sever  his  communications  •  with 
the  rapidly  concentrating  army  of  General  Grant.  On  the 
20th  of  October,  Colonel  Wolford,  during  the  pendency  of 
some  negotiations  respecting  prisoners,  earned  on  under  a  flag 


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1863.]  SIEGE    OF   KNOXVILLE.  329 

of  truce,*  was  attacked  near  Philadelphia  by  a  large  force  of 
infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery.  After  a  severe  fight  of  several 
hours,  having  inflicted  a  greater  loss  upon  the  enemy  in  killed 
and  wounded  than  he  had  himself  suffered,  Colonel  Wolford 
retreated  to  Loudon,  leaving  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  six 
small  howitzers,  with  thirty-eight  wagons  and  between  three 
hundred  and  four  hundred  prisoners.  Our  cavalry  afterwards 
took  the  offensive,  and  drove  the  enemy  back  beyond  Philadel- 
phia, capturing  from  him  a  considerable  number  of  prisoners. 
But  it  soon  became  evident  that  there  was  a  force  of  the  enemy 
in  support  of  this  movement  which  was  really  formidable  in 
numbers  and  organization.  Indeed,  subsequent  events  proved 
that  the  affair  at  Philadelphia  was  the  initiative  of  a  desperate 
attempt  to  retake  East  Tennessee  from  our  troops  and  drive 
them  back  into  Kentucky.  At  the  same  time,  some  threaten- 
ing demonstrations  were  made  from  Virginia,  which  were 
promptly  met  by  General  Willcox,  in  command  at  Greene- 
ville. 

The  main  attack,  however,  was  to  come  from  the  forces  now 
confronting  us  'across  the  Tennessee  river  near  Loudon.  Gen- 
eral Burnside  had  put  General  Sanders,  a  very  brave  and  prom- 
ising young  officer,  in  command  upon  his  right  flank,  where  he 
and  his  forces  performed  many  gallant  and  conspicuous  services. 
He  now  withdrew  his  troops  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Ten- 
nessee and  occupied  the  heights  above  and  opposite  Loudon. 
Constant  skirmishing  occurred  from  day  to  day  between  the 
pickets  of  the  hostile  forces,  with  small  losses  upon  either  side. 
It  was  thought  that  the  enemy's  crossing  might  be  prevented. 
But  it  was  made  manifest,  before  many  days,  that  that  portion 
of  the  rebel  army  which  was  operating  in  this  direction  was  too 
strong  for  us  successfully  to  oppose,  except  from  a  well  fortified 
position.  It  was  hoped  by  General  Burnside,  that  a  show 
of  resistance  might  attract  General  Longstreet's  forces  suffici- 
ently far  away  from  General  Bragg's  main  body  to  enable 

*  Captain  Pell,  of  General  Burnside's  staff,  was  engaged  in  these  negotia- 
tions, and  was  detained  as  prisoner  by  the  enemy  for  a  short  time. 
42 


330  DELIVERANCE   OE   EAST   TENNESSEE.      [NOVEMBER, 

General  Grant  at  Chatanooga  to  make  a  decisive  attack  upon 
his  opponent.  The  situation  was  interesting  enough  to  demand 
the  personal  presence  of  General  Burnside,  and  on  the  28th  of 
October,  headquarters  were  removed  from  Knoxville  to  the 
heights  opposite  Loudon,  and  the  enemy's  advance  awaited. 
But  the  emergency  for  that  time  passed,  and  on  the  31st  General 
Burnside  returned  to  Knoxville,  preparing  himself  and  his 
army  for  any  further  action  which  might  become  necessary. 

Nothing  of  any  great  importance,  however,  took  place  until 
the  10th  of  November,  when  the  attack  came  from  another 
direction.  A  portion  of  the  enemy's  force,  that  had  been  threat- 
ening our  left  flank  from  Virginia,  came  down  upon  our  garri- 
son at  Rogersville  under  Colonel  Garrard,  and  succeeded  in 
driving  it  out  and  back  to  Morristown,  with  a  loss  of  about  five 
hundred  prisoners,  four  pieces  of  artillery,  and  thirty-six  wag- 
ons. It  was  a  seyere  demonstration  upon  our  lines  in  that 
quarter,  but  beyond  the  single  shock  thus  given,  it  was  of  lit- 
tle advantage  to  the  enemy,  as  our  posts  were  again  immedi- 
ately and  fully  secured.  Our  communications  with  Kentucky 
in  that  direction  were  undisturbed,  and  the  balance  of  prisoners, 
besides  those  captured  at  Cumberland  Gap,  was  still  largely  in 
our  favor.  The  only  two  reverses  which  General  Burnside's 
command  suffered  in  its  entire  campaign  in  East  Tennessee, 
were  those  at  Philadelphia  and  Rogersville,  and  they  were  of 
comparatively  little  importance  as  affecting  the  result  of  the 
chief  operations  in  the  department. 

An  active  campaign  seemed  about  to  open.  Our  troops 
near  Loudon  had  prepared  for  winter  quarters.  They  were 
somewhat  rudely  disturbed.  General  Grant  became  anxious 
in  relation  to  the  affairs  of  his  military  division,  and  was  de- 
sirous of  taking  the  offensive  still  more  decidedly  than  he  had 
already  done,  and  of  dealing  a  blow  to  the  rebel  army  in  his 
front,  which  should  send  it  reeling  back  from  its  threatening 
position  at  Lookout  Mountain.  General  Sherman  was  doing 
a  good  work  on  his  right,  engaged  in  clearing  that  flank  of  the 
combined  armies.     The  presence  of  the  enemy  in  large  force 


1863.]  SIEGE   OP   KNOXVILLE.  331 

below  Loudon  was  thought  to  be  troublesome.  General  Grant 
appeared  at  first  to  believe  that  it  was  desirable  to  evacuate 
the  position  at  Knoxville  and  concentrate  General  Burnside's 
forces  at  Kingston  in  order  that  close  communication  might  be 
made  with  our  troops  at  Chattanooga.  General  Burnside  was 
naturally  unwilling  to  relinquish  his  hold  upon  the  enemy's 
line  of  communication  through  Tennessee,  and  to  abandon  the 
people  whom  he  had  delivered  to  the  renewed  severities  of  the 
enemy's  rule.  He  therefore  preferred  Knoxville  to  Kingston 
as  the  point  of  concentration.  He  also  thought  that  General 
Grant  would  be  materially  aided  by  the  withdrawal  of  General 
Longstreet  from  the  main  army  of  the  enemy.  If  this  de- 
tached force  could  be  occupied  in  the  neighborhood  of  Knox- 
ville, General  Grant  would  be  able  to  inflict  a  very  severe 
injury  upon  the  enemy  in  his  front.  Knoxville  moreover 
was  partially  fortified.  General  Burnside's  chief  engineer, 
Captain  0.  M.  Poe,  had  inaugurated  a  system  of  defences 
at  Knoxville  as  early  as  the  15th  of  September.  Two  earth- 
works had  been  erected  near  the  town,  and  it  was  thought  that 
these  could  be  strengthened  sufficiently  to  resist  an  attack  and 
possibly  to  endure  a  siege.  The  communications  with  Cum- 
berland Gap  were  secure,  by  which  a  retreat  might  be  made  in 
case  of  disaster.  General  Burnside  laid  these  considerations 
before  General  Grant  with  the  hope  of  his  approval. 

It  happened  that  Mr.  Chas.  A.  Dana,  Assistant  Secretary  of 
War  was  visiting  the  West  at  the  time  to  consult  with  the  mili- 
tary authorities  upon  the  character  of  the  situation.  He  was 
then  at  General  Grant's  headquarters.  In  company  with 
Colonel  Wilson  of  General  Grant's  staff  Mr.  Dana  visited 
Knoxville.  The  two  gentlemen  arrived  on  the  13th,  and  had 
an  interview  with  General  Burnside  at  which  the  questions  in- 
volved in  his  operations  were  fully  discussed.  After  hearing 
the  reasons  which  General  Burnside  adduced  to  support  his 
plans,  they  immediately  telegraphed  them  in  detail  to  General 
Grant.     The  information  thus  conveyed  served  to  allay  what- 


332  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.     [November, 

ever  anxiety  existed  in  the  mind  of  the  commander  of  our  ar- 
mies in  that  quarter. 

Meanwhile  the  enemy  was  making  certain  movements  which 
confirmed  the  opinions  that  General  Burnside  had  formed,  and 
eventually  proved  them  to  be  the  best  that  could  be  followed 
in  the  existing  circumstances.  During  the  progress  of  the 
consultation  at  Knoxville,  intelligence  was  received  from  the 
front  which  hastened' the  departure  of  Mr.  Dana  and  Colonel 
Wilson.  On  Saturday  morning,  November  14th,  General 
Longstreet  with  twenty  thousand  men  threw  his  advance 
across  the  Tennessee  river  at  Hough's  Ferry,  six  miles  below 
Loudon.  By  this  manoeuvre  our  position  on  the  heights  was 
turned.  General  Sanders  had  been  previously  relieved  from 
the  command  at  this  point  and  was  now  operating  with  his  cav- 
alry on  the  south  side  of  the  Holston.  Brigadier  General 
Julius  White  with  one  division  of  the  twenty-third  corps 
was  now  holding  the  position,  supported  by  General  Potter 
with  the  Ninth  Corps  at  Lenoir's.  General  White,  upon 
learning  the  enemy's  movement,  sent  the  23d  Michigan  in- 
fantry and  a  section  of  artillery  to  observe  the  enemy  and  if 
possible  dispute  his  crossing.  These  troops  were  soon  ordered 
back,  and  General  White  withdrew  his  command  to  Lenoir's. 
Intelligence  of  these  movements  broke  up  the  council.  Gen- 
eral Burnside's  guests  immediately  departed.  The  General 
himself  went  to  the  front,  and  on  hearing  the  details  which 
General  White  had  to  communicate  decided  to  take  charge  of 
the  movement  of  his  troops  in  person.  Entrusting  General 
Parke  with  the  command  of  Knoxville,  he  speedily  arranged 
his  plans  for  holding  the  enemy  in  check,  until  our  troops  could 
deliver  battle  successfully  or  securely  withdraw.  The  first 
point  was  to  harass  the  crossing  at  Hough's  Ferry  or,  if  that 
had  been  effected,  to  attack  the  advancing  party.  He  ordered 
General  White,  supported  by  General  Ferrero's  division  of 
the  Ninth  Corps,  to  assume  the  offensive.  The  odds  were 
greatly  against  us.  But  General  White,  with  the  spirit  of  a 
true   soldier,  was  ready  and   even   eager  for  the  combat.     At 


1863.]  SIEGE    OE   KNOXVILLE.  333 

four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Colonel  Chapin's  brigade  came  in 
contact  with  the  enemy's  van-guard   which  had  crossed  the 
river.    These  troops  were  comparatively  raw,  but  they  charged 
upon  Longstreet's   veterans  with   the  greatest   gallantry,  and 
supported  by  their  comrades  of  the  twenty-third   corps  they 
fairly  forced  the  enemy's  lines,  and,   pressing  vigorously  upon 
him,  drove  him  for  two  miles  back  to  the  river.     The  night 
came  on  thick,  rainy  and  very  dark,  and  put  an  end  to  the  en- 
gagement.    The   fight   reflected    great   honor    upon    General 
White  and  his  officers  and  men.    The  enemy  had  been  checked 
in  his  advance.     General  Burnside  contemplated   another  at- 
tack on  the  following  morning,   but  the  receipt  of  a  despatch 
from  General  Grant  was  decisive  in  regard  -to  the  withdrawal 
of  the  troops.     This  despatch  was  received  late  at  night.     The 
officers  of  General  Burnside's  staff  were  gathered  at  his  head- 
quarters and  the  contents  of  the   despatch   naturally  became  a 
subject  of  conversation.     "  I  shall   withdraw   my  command  to 
Knoxville,"  said  General  Burnside.     "Why  so?"  said  one  of 
the  young  gentlemen,  "  you  can  easily  beat  the  enemy  as  he  is 
at  present  situated  and  drive  him  across  the  river.     If  we  start 
we  are  lost.     He  will  bring  his  entire  ibrce  against  us  and  we 
shall  be  defeated  and  ruined."     "  ThaUmay  be  true, "  replied 
the  General ;  "  but   it   will  benefit;  General   Grant  if  we  can 
draw  Longstreet  away  from  his  frdnt  more   than  it  will  injure 
us.     If  General   Grant  can   destroy  Bragg  it  is  of  no  great 
consequence  what  becomes  of  our&elves.     Order  the  troops  to 
be  ready  to  march  in  the  morning." 

At  daylight  the  next  mprning,  therefore,  General  Burnside 
retired  his  troops  to  Lenoir's, — Colonel  Morrison's  brigade  of 
General  Ferrero's  division  bringing  up  the  rear — drawing  off 
his  artillery  and  trains  in  safety,  with  the  exception  of  a  sin- 
gle caisson,  which  became  mired  and  had  to  be  abandoned. 
The  command  was  put  in  position  at  Lenoir's  without  molest- 
ation. Later  in  the  afternoon,  the  enemy's  skirmishers  ap- 
peared in  force,  and  were  promptly  scattered  by  a  few  well- 
directed  shells  from  Captain  Henshaw's  battery  of  the  twenty- 


334  DELIVERANCE   OF   EAST    TENNESSEE.     [NOVEMBER 

third  corps.  During  the  night  of  the  15th,  preparations  were 
made  for  falling  back  to  Campbell's  station.  The  horses  of 
the  artillery  had  become  so  wearied  and  worn  out,  that  the 
draft  animals  from  the  baggage  train  of  General  White's  divis- 
ion were  required  to  drag  the  guns,  and  a  few  wagons  with 
their  contents  were  destroyed. 

Between  ten  o'clock  and  midnight,  the  enemy  attacked  our 
lines,  but  was  quickly  repulsed.  Foiled  in  this,  he  attempted 
by  a  flank  inarch,  to  anticipate  our  movements,  and  to  seize 
the  junction  of  the_  roads  at  Campbell's  station.  It  was  an 
admirable  place  for  either  attack  or  defence.  Were  the  enemy 
able  to  occupy  the  coveted  point,  General  Burnside's  line  of 
retreat  would  be  cut  and  his  army  would  be  in  extreme  peril. 
He  fully  understood  the  importance  of  the  movement,  and 
prepared  to  meet  and  baffle  the  designs  of  the  enemy.  He 
knew  that  the  possession  of  Campbell's  station  by  General 
Longstreet  would  render  the  holding  of  Knoxville  uncertain. 
But  he  also  knew,  that  if  the  enemy  could  here  be  held  in 
check,  time  would  be  gained  for  ensuring  the  safety  of  the 
army  and  the  occupancy  and  fortification  of  the  town. 

The  battle  of  Campbell's  station,  was  in  reality  the  decisive 
battle  of  the  campaign,  arid  it  was  fought  on  both  sides  with 
great  skill,  courage  and  persistence.  Its  method,  its  progress  and 
its  result  were  all  highly  -'c^ditable  to  General  Burnside  and 
his  officers  and  men.  The  disparity  of  forces  was  great.  We 
had  but  six  thousand ;  the  enemy  twice  or  three  times  that 
number.  The  preliminary  movement  was  of  course  the  occu- 
pation of  the  cross-roads.  The  main  road  to  Knoxville  runs 
nearly  parallel  with  the  Holston  river  and  the  railroad,  in  a 
north-easterly  direction.  From  the  west  the  approach  is  by 
the  Kingston  road  striking  the  Knoxville  road  at  an  angle  of 
about  thirty  degrees.  From  the  North  a  narrow  country  road 
comes  down  from  Clinton  crossing  the  main  road  and  continu- 
ing to  the  river.  From  the  south-east  another  road  comes 
up  from  the  river.  Campbell's  station  was  thus  the  point  of 
junction  of  roads    leading    from  six   different  directions.     Its 


1863.}  SIEGE    OF   KNOXVILLE.  335 

importance  can  easily  be  understood.  General  Longstreet 
hoped  to  gain  the  desired  point  by  throwing  a  body  of  troops 
along  the  Kingston  road.  General  Burnside  was  on  the  alert. 
Just  before  daylight  on  the  16th,  General  Potter  put  the  Ninth 
Corps  in  motion — Colonel  Hartranft's  division  in  advance, 
Colonel  Humphrey's  brigade  in  the  rear,  With  rapid  march- 
ing, Colonel  Hartranft,  always  prompt  and  always  reliable,  suc- 
ceeded in  the  early  part  of  the  forenoon,  in  reaching  Camp- 
bell's station.  He  was  but  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  advance  of 
the  foe.  It  was  an  exciting  race  and  our  troops  won.  Colo- 
nel Hartranft's  command  was  immediately  moved  out  on  the 
Kingston  road  and  deployed  across  it,  with  the  left  thrown  for- 
ward to  cover  the  Loudon  road,  along  which  our  army  and 
trains  were  moving. 

It  was  just  in  time.  Scarcely  had  the  disposition  been  made, 
when  the  head  of  the  rebel  column  appeared  hastening  up  the 
Kingston  road.  A  small  body  of  cavalry  that  were  with  Colo- 
nel Hartranft,  immediateiy  attacked  and  forced  the  head  of 
the  column  back.  Our  infantry  also  poured  in  such  a  sharp 
and  destructive  fire,  as  to  check  the  enemy's  advance  and  throw 
his  leading  regiment  into  some  confusion.  General  Longstreet 
had  not  succeeded  in  his  first  movement,  and  though  his  flank- 
ing column  made  several  attempts  to  break  the  lines  of  the  cov- 
ering brigade,  and  his  pursuing  column  to  press  our  rear  guard 
under  Colonel  Humphreys,  they  met  in  both  instances  with 
nothing  but  repeated  failure.  Colonel  Hartranft  steadfastly 
held  his  ground  until  the  remainder  of  the  army  and  all  the 
trains  had  safely  passed  the  threatened  point.  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Loring  of  General  Burnside's  staff  was  sent  to  select 
a  position  for  the  formation  of  the  troops.  The  trains  were 
directed  upon  the  road  to  Knoxville.  General  Burnside  rap- 
idly arranged  his  line  of  battle  upon  the  chosen  position,  a  low 
range  of  hills  about  half  a  mile  beyond  the  crosss-roads,  slowly 
withdrawing  his  troops,  regiment  by  regiment,  from  the  ad- 
vanced position  near  the  village.  The  first  line  was  found  en 
echelon — General    Ferrero's    division    on   the  right,    General 


336  DELIVERANCE   OP   EAST   TENNESSEE.     [November, 

White's  in  the  centre,  Colonel  Hartranft's  on  the  left.  A  small 
cavalry  force  was  posted  on  the  country  roads  on  either  flank, 
and  the  right  of  the  infantry  brigade  on  the  right  flank  was 
partially  refused.  The  heavy  artillery  was  posted  in  the  cen- 
tre, the  light  batteries  in  the  intervals  between  the  infantry 
and  cavalry,  with  proper  support.  In  this  position,  General 
Burnside  waited  the  enemy's  onset. 

The  attack  commenced  about  twelve  o'clock,  by  a  furious 
charge  upon  our  right,  where  Colonel  Christ's  brigade  had 
been  posted.  The  rebels  came  on  in  6olumns  of  attack,  hoping 
to  crush"  in  our  right  flank  by  the  momentum  of  their  assault. 
Our  lines  wavered  a  little.  Colonel  Christ  rapidly  changed 
front,  and  though  his  brigade  was  somewhat  attenuated,  it 
could  not  be  broken.  The  desperate  charges  of  the  rebel  host 
were  most  handsomely  and  successfully  repulsed.  Soon  after 
this,  a  very  formidable  attack  was  made  upon  our  left  centre, 
held  by  General  White's  division.  The  enemy  was  received 
by  the  artillery,  but  moved  steadily  forward  till  within  three 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  when  all  our  batteries  in  the  centre 
and  to  the  right  and  left  of  General  White  opened  with  canis- 
ter and  shell.  The  slaughter  was  terrible,  and  the  enemy's  first 
line  was  broken  and  forced  to  retire.  Reforming  once  more,  he 
returned  to  the  attack,  only  to  be  repulsed  again.  Our  troops 
were  admirably  handled  and  fought,  and  every  attempt  of  the 
enemy  to  break  our  lines  and  force  the  position  was  effectually 
thwarted. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  our  scouts  reported  that 
the  enemy's  forces  were  crossing  the  road  and  passing  through 
some  woods  in  their  rear  to  attack  our  left.  General  Burnside 
had  already  decided  to  hold  his  first  position  until  three  o'clock, 
when  he  intended  to  retire  to  another  defensive  line  in  his  rear. 
At  fifteen  minutes  before  three,  he  turned  to  Lieutenant  Colo- 
nel Loring  and  asked  the  time.  On  being  told,  he  said,  "  We 
will  wait  ten  minutes  longer,  and  then  withdraw."  Accord- 
ingly, at  the  designated  hour,  the  troops  were  withdrawn  as 
before  to  a  second  range  of  hills,  and  the  second  line  was  formed 


1863.]  SIEGE    OF   KNOXVILLE.  337 

upon  a  jiosltion  about  a  thousand  yards  in  the  rear  of  the  first 
and  commanding  it.  The  withdrawal  was  accomplished  by  our 
officers  and  men  with  great  deliberation  and  coolness,  though 
made  under  a  heavy  continuous  fire  from  the  enemy's  batteries. 
It  was  evident  that  General  Longstreet,  after  failing  to  make 
an  impression  upon  one  flank,  was  intending  to  practise  his  fa- 
vorite tactics  by  massing  his  troops  upon  the  other,  with  the 
expectation  of  pushing  back  our  left  by  a  still  heavier  charge. 
Our  centre  was  too  strong  to  be  forced.  General  Burnside 
formed  his  second  line  en  potence  on  either  flank — almost  in 
the  shape  of  a  rectangle  with  three  sides — massing  his  light 
artillery  with  Colonel  Hartranft's  brigade  upon  the  left,  where 
it  was  expected  the  enemy's  attack  was  to-  be  made.  The  cav- 
alry scouts  were  well  out  as  before,  and  the  infantry  was  de- 
ployed across  and  upon  either  side  of  the  road.  On  came  the 
enemy,  with  a  more  resolute  and  determined  bearing,  if  pi»,-i- 
ble,  than  before  ;  with  frightful  veils,  they  rushed  down  tbe 
opposite  slope  and  up  the  acclivity,  upon  the  crest  of  which 
our  troops  were  posted.  Our  men  poured  in  destructive  vol- 
leys of  musketry,  and  as  the  rebels,  still  undismayed,  came 
within  short  range,  the  artiliery  opened  with  grape,  canister 
and  shell  with  fearful  effect.  No  troops  could  withstand  so 
withering  a  fire.  The  charging  column  staggered,  recoiled, 
and  finally  broke  and  sought  shelter  from  the  storm  of  death. 
The  enemy's  artillery  on  the  heights  in  his  rear  kept  up  a  hot 
but  ineffectual  fire  until  sunset,  when  it  ceased,  and  a  sullen 
silence  settled  over,  the  field.  Our  loss  in  this  battle  was 
twenty-six  killed,  sixty-six  wounded,  and  fifty-seven  missing. 
The  enemy's  loss  was  much  greater,  as  he  was  more  exposed. 
The  manner  in  which  our  troops  were  handled,  the  movements 
executed,  the  withdrawal  made  from  one  point  to  another,  and 
the  final  advantage  secured,  elicited  the  highest  commendation 
from  those  who  witnessed  the  progress  of  the  engagement. 
"  Never  did  troops  manoeuvre  so  beautifully  and  with  such  pre- 
cision," says  General  Ferrero  in  his  report  of  the  action, 
"  changing  position  several  times  while  under  a  severe  fire, 

43 


338  DELIVERANCE   OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.      [November, 

brigades  moving  forward  to  relieve  each  other,  others  retiring, 
having  exhausted  their  ammunition,  changes  of  front,  passing 
of  defiles,  were  executed  by  men  and  officers  so  as  to  draw 
'forth  exclamations  of  the  highest  praise  from  all.  In  these 
movements,  Colonel  Christ  particularly  distinguished  himself." 
The  conduct  of  the  officers  and  men  was  beyond  all  praise, 
and  the  battle  of  Campbell's  Station  will  always  be  proudly  re- 
membered by  those  of  our  troops  who  were  fortunate  enough 
to  participate  in  its  scenes.  The  soldiers  of  the  Ninth  Corps, 
with  their  comrades  of  the  twenty-third,  had  met  the  flower  of 
General  Lee's  army,  and  had  inflicted  upon  it  a  most  damaging 
blow.  General  Longtreet  was  surprised  by  the  obstinacy  with 
which  he  was  met  and  fought,  and  was  forced  to  feel  that  the 
reconquest  of  East  Tennessee  was  not  an  easy  task.  General 
Burnside,  having  punished  the  enemy,  mastered  the  field,  and 
saved  his  trains,  deliberately  drew  off  to  Knoxville  during  the 
night  of  the  16th,  and  prepared  for  the  siege  which  General 
Longstreet  would  now  be  obliged  to  make.  Captain  Poe  had 
already  been  sent  from  Campbell's  Station,  with  instructions  to 
select  lines  of  defence  around  Knoxville,  and  to  have  everything 
in  readiness  to  put  the  troops  in  position  as  they  should  arrive. 
Captain  Poe  was  familiar  with  the  ground,  and  was  thus  able 
to  designate  without  delay  the  points  to  be  occupied.  General 
Burnside  knew  that  he  could  trust  his  troops,  and  they  knew 
that  they  could  trust  him.  The  Ninth  Corps  was  always  to  be 
depended  upon,  and  the  valor  of  the  twenty-third  had  suffici- 
ently been  proved  at  the  battles  of  Lenoirs  and  Campbell's 
Station.  General  Longstreet  had  received  a  severe  check,  but 
was  not  disposed  to  relinquish  his  purpose  of  driving  our  troops 
from  East  Tennessee.  General  Burnside's  retreat  drew  him 
still  farther  away  from  General  Bragg.  All  General  Burnside's 
plans  were  working  admirably.  If  Knoxville  were  once  reached 
and  properly  defended,  there  would  be  no  cause  to  fear  for  the 
result. 

When  our  troops  were  withdrawn  from  Loudon,  the  ponton 
bridge  which  they  had  used  was  conveyed  to  Knoxville  and 


1863.]  SIEGE    OF   KNOXVILLE.  339 

thrown  across  the  Holston  river.  By  this  means,  General  San- 
ders's cavalry  was  enabled  to  cross  to  the  south  side  and  main- 
tain an  easy  communication  with  our  troops  in  the  town.  Gen- 
eral Burnside  anticipated  some  movement  of  the  enemy  upon 
the  south  side  of  the  Holston,  and  General  Parke  reposed  the 
utmost  confidence  in  the  valor  and  discretion  of  General  San- 
ders. The  anticipation  was  realized,  the  confidence  was  more 
than  justified.  On  the  night  of  the  13th,  a  large  body  of  cav- 
alry and  mounted  infantry,  under  Generals  Forrest  and 
Wheeler,  crossed  the  little  Tennessee  river  near  Morgantown, 
and  on  the  14th,  attacked  our  advance  at  Marysville.  A  por- 
tion of  the  11th  Kentucky  cavalry  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands. 
Our  forces  were  drawn  in  and  skirmishing  continued,  at  differ- 
ent intervals,  during  the  15th,  occasionally  with  very  severe 
arftl  sanguinary  fighting,  in  which  the  1st  Kentucky  and  45th 
Ohio  mounted  infantry  suffered  considerable  loss.  Our  dead 
were  stripped  of  clothing,  rings,  watches,  and  other  articles  of 
value,  by  the  enemy.  But  General  Sanders  was  too  strongly 
posted  to  be  attacked  with  any  hope  of  success,  and  our  lines 
were  everywhere  vigilantly  guarded.  After  carefully  observ- 
ing our  position,  the  rebel  commander  withdrew  without  a  se- 
rious attack.  In  the  course  of  the  18th,  the  enemy  had  en- 
tirely disappeared  from  the  immediate  front  of  Knoxville. 
Colonel  Adams,  with  the  1st  Kentucky  cavalry  and  45th  Ohio, 
pursued  the  retreating  foe  for  several  miles,  with  occasional 
skirmishes.  The  battle  at  Campbell's  Station  relieved  the  gar- 
rison of  Knoxville  from  the  pressure  of  the  hostile  force. 

General  Sanders  returned  across  the  river  with  his  command, 
and  at  once  proceeded  down  the  Loudon  road  to  cover  the 
retreat  of  our  forces  and  hold  the  pursuing  enemy  in  check. 
Colonel  Pennebacker,  with  a  brigade  of  mounted  infantry,  oc- 
cupied the  Clinton  road.  The  enemy's  cavalry  coukl  not  reach 
General  Longstreet  in  season  to  be  of  any  service  on  the  16th, 
and  our  army  retired  unmolested.  General  Sanders  stationed 
his  outposts  for  a  considerable  distance  down  the  road.  On 
the   17th,  the   enemy  vigorously  attacked.     General  Sanders, 


340  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.      [Novembek, 

drawing  in  his  more  exposed  posts,  concentrated  his  force,  gal- 
lantly met  the  enemy's  assault,  and  repulsed  it  after  a  brief  but 
sharp  engagement.  During  that  night,  he  fell  back  to  within 
a  mile  of  the  city  defences,  where  the  army  was  now  getting 
into  its  proper  position. 

On  the  18th,  in  the  early  morning,  the  enemy  attacked  with 
great  fury.  General  McLaws  commanded  the  assaulting  force, 
and  expected  to  push  back  our  Cavalry  upon  and  into  the  town, 
and  to  enter  in  victory.  But  General  Sanders  was  not  a 
man  who  could  be  easily  beaten.  He  fully  appreciated  the  im- 
portance of  the  conflict  in  which  he  found  himself  engaged,  and 
was  resolute  to  prevent  the  execution  of  the  enemy's  plan. 
The  fight  that  followed  was  of  a  most  gallant  description.  For 
three  hours,  the  engagement  continued.  The  112th  Illinois, 
45th  Ohio,  3d  Michigan,  and  12th  Kentucky  mounted  infantry 
regiments  bore  the  brunt  of  the  contest,  and  were  especially 
conspicuous  for  their  bravery.  But  the  enemy's  forces  were 
too  heavy  for  us,  and  they  gradually  forced  back  our  left  until 
under  the  cover  of  the  guns  of  General  Ferrero's  position, 
they  were  finally  checked.  But  General  Sanders  was  not  in- 
clined to  give  up  the  contest,  and  it  was  necessary  that  the 
foe  should  be  held  back  until  our  defences  were  made  tena- 
ble. The  battle  was  renewed  later  in  the  day,  and  became  a 
sanguinary  strugo-le.  General  Sanders  himself  was  foremost  in 
every  scene  of  danger,  performing  wonderful  deeds  of  valor. 
Most  precious  time  was  saved  for  our  men  who  were  at  work 
in  the  trenches.  The  enemy's  attack  was  completely  repulsed, 
and  he  was  fairly  forced  away  from  our  lines.  The  prize  had 
not  fallen  into  his  hands,  and  it  is  said  that  General  McLaws 
was  afterwards  court  martialed  for  his  failure  to  drive  our  troops 
from  Knoxville. 

But  the  price  of  our  victory  was  heavy.  Among  those  who 
fell  were  Captain  Clifton  Lee,  of  the  112th  Illinois,  and  Adju- 
tant Charles  W  Fearns,  of  the  45th  Ohio,  both  promising 
young  officers.  But  the  chief  and  saddest  loss  was  that  of 
the   brave   commander  of   our  troops.     He  fell  in  the  midst 


1863.]  SIEGE   OE   KNOXVILLE.  341 

of  the  hottest  fighting,  and  at  the  very  front,  pierced  by 
a  minie  bullet.  He  was  tenderly  conveyed  into  the  town  and 
received  every  attention.  But  no  human  skill  could  save  him. 
On  being  told  that  his  wound  was  mortal,  he  said  :  "  Well, 
I  am  not  afraid  to  die.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  upon  that 
subject.  I  have  done  my  duty  and  have  served  my  country  as 
well  as  I  could."  The  last  consolations  of  religion  were  admin- 
istered. General  Burnside  and  some  of  the  members  of  his 
staff  stood  by  the  bedside,  and,  amid  the  prayers  and  tears  of 
his  comrades  and  friends,  the  spirit  o,f  the  fearless  soldier  took 
its  heavenward  flight. 

General  Sanders  was  but  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  a  graduate  of  West  Point  in  the  class  of 
1856.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  was  1st  Lieutenant  of 
dragoons,  and  on  the  organization  of  the  6th  Regiment  of 
cavalry,  United  States  army,  he  was  promoted  to  Captain — 
his  commission  dating  May  14th,  1861.  He  distinguished 
himself  in  the  campaigns  in  Virginia  and  Maryland,  and  in 
1863  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  5th  Kentucky  cavalry.  His 
raid  into  East  Tennessee  has  already  been  mentioned.  At  the 
earnest  request  and  solicitation  of  General  Burnside,  who  had 
early  perceived  his  merits,  he  was  promoted  to  Brigadier 


eral  about  three  weeks  before  his  death.  He  was  immediately 
assigned  to  the  command  of  a  cavalry  division,  and  in  that 
positiou,.  by  his  daring,  skill  and  generosity  of  disposition, 
gained  the  admiration  and  affection  of  his  officers  and  men  to 
a  reinarkable  degree.  His  death  cast  a  gloom  over  the  entire 
command.  It  was  felt  that  a  most  brilliant  and  promising 
name  had  been  lost  from  the  roll  of  the  army.  General  Burn- 
side felt  his  loss  most  keenly,  and  ordered  that  the  earthwork, 
in  front  of  which  the  engagement  in  which  he  fell  had  taken 
place  should  be  named  Fort  Sanders  in  honor  of  his  memory. 
He  also  placed  on  record  his  estimation  of  the  fallen  soldier's 
worth  by  the  issue  of  a  general  order  in  which  occur  the  fol- 
lowing appreciative  words  :  "  A  life  rendered  illustrious  b}r  a 
long  record  of  gallantry  and  devotion  to  his  country  has  closed 


342  DELIVERANCE   OE   EAST  TENNESSEE.     [November, 

while  in  the  heroic  and  unflinching  performance  of  duty.  Dis- 
tinguished always  for  his  self-possession  and  daring  in  the  field, 
and  in  his  private  life  eminent  for  his  genial  and  unselfish  na- 
ture and  the  sterling  qualities  of  his  character,  he  has  left,  both 
as  a  man  and  a  soldier,  an  untarnished  name." 

After  this  engagement,  General  Longstreet  decided  that  he 
would  be  obliged  to  lay  siege  to  the  place,  and  to  carry  our 
works,  if  at  all,  by  regular  approaches.  Accordingly  he  moved 
up^the  right  bank  of  the  river  and  posted  his  main  body  be- 
tween the  river  and  the  Ciinton  road,  investing  about  half  the 
circuit  of  the  town  upon  the  northern,  western  and  south- 
western side.  Communication  with  Cumberland  Gap  was  cut 
on  the  night  of  the  16th  of  November  by  the  enemy's  cavalry, 
and  by  the  night  of  the  18th,  the  enemy's  forces  were  well  up 
and  the  siege  established.  The  southern  part  of  the  town  was 
free  from  tbe  presence  of  the  foe.  A  bridge  spanned  the  Hol- 
ston,  affording  easy  communication  with  the  opposite  heights 
which  were  diligently  fortified.  The  country  was  open  in  that 
direction  as  far  as  Marysville.  On  the  north  side,  our  engi- 
neers, under  the  direction  of  Captain  Poe  and  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Babcock  were  not  idle.  Fortifications  were  thrown 
up  around  the  town,  and  a  continuous  line  of  rifle  pits  was 
added.  A  chevaux  clef  rise  of  pikes  captured  from  the  enemy 
at  Knoxville  was  set  up  in  front  of  the  rifle  pits.  The  skir- 
mishers were  kept  out  from  five  hundred  to  a  thousand  yards 
beyond  the  line  of  the  rifle  pits.  The  men  were  in  good  spir- 
its, and  supplies  had  been  accumulated,  which  with  economy 
would  suffice  for  two  or  three  weeks'  consumption. 

An  excellent  article  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  for  July  18(56, 
by  Major  Burrage  of  the  36th  Massachusetts,  gives  a  very  cor- 
rect and  graphic  description  of  Knoxville  and  its  defences  as 
they  appeared  at  the  time  of  the  siege.  "  Knoxville  is  situated 
on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Holston  river.  For  the  most  part 
the  town  is  built  on  a  table  land  which  is  nearly  a  mile  square, 
and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  river.  On  the 
the  northeast,  the  town  is  bouuded.  by  n  small  creek.      Beyond 


1863.]  SIEGE    OF    KNOXVILLE.  343 

this  creek  is  an  elevation  known  as  Temperance  Hill.  Still 
farther  to  the  east  is  Mayberry's  Hill.  On  the  northwest  this 
table  land  descends  into  a  broad  valley  ;  on  the  southwest  the 
town  is  bounded  by  a  second  creek.  Beyond  this  is  College 
Hill,  and  still  farther  to  the  southwest  is  a  high  ridge  running 
nearly  parallel  with  the  road  which  enters  Knoxville  at  this 
point.  Benjamin's  and  Buckley's  batteries  occupied  a  bastion 
work  on  the  ridge  known  as  Fort  Sanders.  Boemer's  battery 
was  placed  in  position  on  College  Hill.  These  batteries  were 
supported  by  Fererro's  division  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  his  line 
extending  from  the  Holston  river  on  the  left  to  the  point  where 
the  East  Tennessee  and  Georgia  railroad  crosses  the  creek 
mentioned  above  as  Second  Creek.  Hartranft  connected  with 
Ferrero's  right,  supporting  Gittings'  and  the  loth  Indiana  Bat- 
teries. His  lines  extended  as  far  as  First  Creek-  The  divisions 
of  White  and  Hascall  of  the  twenty-third  corps  occupied  the 
ground  between  this  point  and  the  Holston  river  on  the  north- 
east side  of  the  town,  with  their  artillery  in  position  on  Tem- 
perance and  Mayberry's  Hills."*  After  the  fortifications  were 
completed,  they  were  truly  formidable.  General  Sherman  ex- 
amined them  after  the  siege,  and  declared  them  to  be  "  a  won- 
derful production  for  the  short  time  allowed  in  the  selection  of 
ground  and  construction  of  work.  They  seemed  to  be  nearly 
impregnable." 

After   the  withdrawal  to  Knoxville,    General  Burnside  re- 
ceived a  despatch   from   General   Grant   dated   on   the  14th  of 

*  Boemer's  battery  on  College  Hill  was  supported  by  Colonel  Morrison's 
brigade  of  the  first  division,  Ninth  Corps.  The  batteries  in  Fort  Sanders  were 
supported  by  the  brigades  of  Colonels  Humphreys  and  Christ  of  the  same 
division.  The  artillery  supported  by  White  and  Hascall  was  composed  of 
Captain  Simms's  twenty-fourth  Indiana  battery,  Captain  Henshaw's  battery 
and  Captain  Shield's  Ohio  battery  and  one  section  of  Captain  Thomas's 
"  Wilder's"  Indiana  battery.  Two  sections  of  ""Wilder's"  battery  and  Captain 
Konkle's  battery  were  posted  on  the  heights  south  of  the  river,  supported  by 
Colonel  Cameron's  brigade  of  the  third  division,  twenty-third  Corps.  One 
section  of  howitzers  covered  the  bridge  head  and  was  manned  by  soldiers 
detailed  principally  from  the  regiments  of  loyal  Tennesseeans.  These  batteries 
and  troops  were  posted  by  Captain  Poe  as  they  arrived  from  Campbell's  Sta- 
tion.— Captain  Poe's  Report. 


344  DELIVERANCE   OF  EAST  TENNESSEE.     [November, 

November,  having  reference  to  the  visit  of  Colonel  Willson 
and  Mr.  Dana.  General  Grant's  despatch  was  as  follows : 
"  Your  despatch  and  Dana's  just  received.  Being  there,  you 
can  tell  better  how  to  resist  Longstreet's  .attack  than  I  can 
direct.  With  your  showing,  you  had  better  give  up  Kingston 
at  the  last  moment,  and  save  the  most  productive  part  of  your 
possessions.  Every  arrangement  is  now  made  to  throw  Sher- 
man's force  across  the  river,  just  at  and  below  the  mouth  of 
Chickamauga  Creek,  as  soon  as  it  arrives.  Thomas  will  attack 
on  his  left  at  the  same  time ;  and,  together,  it  is  expected  to 
carry  Missionary  Ridge,  and  from  there  rush  a  force  on  to  the 
railroad  between  Cleveland  and  Dalton.  Hooker  will  at  the 
same  time  attack,  and,  if  he  can,  carry  Lookout  Mountain. 
The  enemy  now  seems  to  be  looking  for  an  attack  on  his  left 
flank.  This  favors  us.  To  further  confirm  this,  Sherman's 
advance  division  will  march  direct  from  Whiteside's  to  Tren- 
ton. The  remainder  of  his  force  will  pass  over  a  new  road 
just  made  from  Whiteside's  to  Kelly's  Ferry,  thus  being  con- 
cealed from  the  enemy,  and  leave  him  to  suppose  the  whole 
force  is  going  up  Lookout  valley.  Sherman's  advance  has 
onlv  just  reached  Bridgeport.  The  rear  will  only  reach  there 
on  the  sixteenth.  This  will  bring  it  to  the  nineteenth  as  the 
earliest  day  for  making  the  combined  movement  as  desired. 
Inform  me  if  you  think  you  can  sustain  yourself  till  that  time. 
I  can  hardly  conceive  of  the  enemy  breaking  through  at  Kings- 
ton, and  pushing  for  Kentucky.  If  they  should,  however,  a 
new.  problem  would  be  left  for  solution.  Thomas  has  ordered 
a  division  of  cavalry  to  the  vicinity  of  Sparta.  I  will  ascertain 
if  they  have  started,  and  inform  you." 

On  the  15th,  having  received  full  despatches  from  Knoxville, 
and  also  from  General  Halleck  in  regard  to  the  danger  of  the 
abandonment  of  East  Tennessee,  General  Grant  sent  the  follow- 
ing despatch  to  General  Burnside,  which  was  received  very 
nearly  at  the  same  time  with  the  preceding : 

"  I  do  not  know  how  to  impress  on  you  the  necessity  of 
holding   on  to  East  Tennessee   in   strong   enough  terms.     Ac- 


1863.]  SIEGE    OF   KNOXVILLE.  345 

cording  to  the  despatches  of  Mr.  Dana  and  Colonel  Wilson, 
it  would  seem  that  you  should,  if  pressed  to  do  it,  hold  on  to 
Knoxville  and  that  portion  of  the  valley  you  will  necessarily 
possess  holding  to  that  point.  Should  Longstreet  move  his 
whole  force  across  the  Little  Tennessee,  an  effort  should  be 
made  to  cut  his  pontons  on  that  stream  even  if  it  sacrificed 
half  the  cavalry  of  the  Ohio  army. 

"  By  holding  on,  and  placing  Longstreet  between  the  Little 
Tennessee  and  Knoxville,  he  should  not  be  allowed  to  escape 
with  an  army  capable  of  doing  anything  this  winter.  I  can 
hardly  conceive  the  necessity  of  retreating  from  East  Tenn- 
essee. If  I  did  at  all,  it  would  be  after  losing  most  of  the 
army,  and  then  necessity  would  suggest  the  route. 

"  I  will  not  attempt  to  lay  out  a  line  of  retreat.  Kingston, 
looking  at  the  map,  I  thought  of  more  importance  than  any 
one  point  in  East  Tennessee.  But  my  attention  being  called 
more  closely  to  it,  I  can  see  that  it  might  be  passed  by,  and 
Knoxville  and  the  rich  valley  about  it  possessed,  ignoring  that 
place  entirely.  I  should  not  think  it  advisable  to  concentrate 
a  force  near  the  Little  Tennessee  to  resist  the  crossing,  if  it 
would  be  in  danger  of  capture ;  but  I  would  harass  and  em- 
barrass progress  in  every  way  possible,  reflecting  on  the  fact 
that  the  army  of  the  Ohio  is  not  the  only  army  to  resist  the 
onward  progress  of  the  enemy." 

General  Burnside  thus  encouraged  to  believe  that  his  plans 
had  received  the  approval  of  his  chief,  and  that  he  would  be 
relieved  from  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  as  soon  as  General 
Grant  could  detach  a  force  from  Chattanooga,  was  doubly  de- 
termined to  hold  on  at  Knoxville.  He  accordingly  issued  an 
order,  to  the  effect  that  there  was  to  be  no  further  retreat  and 
that  the  town  was  to  be  held  at  all  hazards  and  to  the  last  man. 
The  enemy  however  seemed  to  labor  under  the  impression,  that 
his  task  was  not  difficult  of  accomplishment.  All  that  was 
required  was  to  remain  patiently  before  the  town  until  the  sup- 
plies in  our  camps  were  exhausted,  and  starvation  should  com- 
pel surrender.  In  one  of  the  fights  on  the  south  ,side  of  the 
44 


346  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.      [Novembee, 

river,  the  enemy  charged  with  the  cry  "-Vicksburg  and  mule, 
meat !  "  But  that  point  was  far  away,  as  he  afterwards  learned 
to  his  cost. 

The  weary  days  of  the  siege  passed  slowly  away.  The  mo- 
notony was  broken  only  by  occasional  skirmishing  and  cannon- 
ading, a  sortie  of  our  men  upon  some  part  of  the  rebel  lines 
which  was  thought  weaker  than  the  rest,  or  an  attempted  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy's  pickets  and  batteries.  The  loyal  citizens 
of  the  town  were  engaged  in  zealous  emulation  with  the  troops 
in  perfecting  the  defences.  It  became  necessary  to  seize  and 
destroy  some  buildings  outside  of  our  lines  of  fortification, 
which  afforded  shelter  to  the  enemy's  sharpshooters  and  were 
in  the  way  of  our  artillery  fire.  The  work  was  gallantly  and 
thoroughly  accomplished,  on  the  night  of  the  20th,  by  a  de- 
tachment of  the  17th  Michigan.  On  the  night  of  the  23d,  the 
enemy  made  an  attack  upon,  the  right  of  our  lines,  and  suc- 
ceeded for  a  time  in  gaining  considerable  advantage.  But  at 
davlight  on  the  24th,  Colonel  Hartranft,  with  the  48th  Penn- 
sylvania  and  the  21st  Massachusetts,  made  a  counter  assault, 
which  was  successful  in  driving  the  enemy  from  his  advanced 
position  and  in  reestablishing  our  own  lines  of  defence.  On  the 
24th  Colonel  Mutt,  with  a  small  cavalry  force,  had  a  smart 
engagement  with  General  Wheeler,  near  Kingston,  and  in- 
.flicted  upon  him  a  serious  defeat.  On  the  same  day  Colonel 
Cameron  was  attacked,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  but  gal- 
lantly repulsed  the  assault,  with  considerable  damage  to  the  at- 
tacking party.  During  this  time,  also,  the  enemy  had  been  en- 
gaged in  felling  trees  and  adopting  other  means  for  strengthening 
his  position.  A  force  was  detached  to  pass  above  the  town,  cut 
down  trees  upon  the  river  bank,  and  make  a  raft  to  float  clown 
upon  our  pontons  which  connected  the  garrison  with  the  troops 
on  the  opposite  heights.  The  movement  was  discovered  and 
seasonably  foiled. 

General  Longstreet  was  watching  every  opportunity  and 
adopting  every  expedient  to  reduce  the  place.  General  Burn- 
side  was  holding  on  with  the  utmost  tenacity,  and  though  his 


1863.]  SIEGE    OP   KNOXVILLE.  347 

communications  were  cut,  his  supplies  were  lessening,  Ms  forces 
were  inferior,  he  himself  was  suffering  somewhat  from  illness, 
and  affairs  generally  were  gloomy,  yet  he  never  once  lost  his 
hope.  At  last,  it  became  evident  that  an  assault  must  be  made 
by  the  enemy,  or  the  attempt  to  regain  East  Tennessee  must  be 
abandoned.  General  Bragg  had  become  alive  to  the  magnitude 
of  the  blunder  which  he  had  made.  General  Grant  was  mak- 
ing his  power  felt  upon  the  enemy's  weakened  lines  in  those 
grand  operations  at  Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge, 
which,  on  the  23d,  24th  and  25th  of  November,  inaugurated 
the  final  and  successful  campaign  against  Atlanta.  General. 
Longstreet  could  not  endure  the  thought  of  leaving  his  enter- 
prise unfinished,  or  retiring  from  it  baffled  by  an  inferior  force. 
His  position  had  now  become  perilous.  Grant's  success  made 
it  impossible  for  him  to  rejoin  Bragg.  General  Sherman's 
junction  with  General  Grant  threatened  his  position  in  the  rear 
too  seriously  to  be  neglected.  The  rebel  General  determined 
to  risk  an  assault,  hoping  thus  to  secure  the  long  desired  posi- 
tion and  an  unmolested  line  of  retreat  to  Virginia.  General 
Burnside  was  ready  for  him,  and  the  attack  came. 

The  day  appointed  was  the  29th  of  November.  The  place 
selected  for  the  assault  was  Fort  Sanders.  It  had  been  strength- 
ened by  General  Burnside' s  accomplished  Engineers,  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Babcock  and  Captain  Poe,  assisted  by  Lieutenant 
Benjamin,  ■with  every  art  known  to  their  profession  or  available 
for  their  purpose.  The  ditch  was  widened,  abattis  were  thickly 
laid  in  front  and  flank,  trees  were  felled,  and  wires  stretched 
from  stump  to  stump.  It  was  a  desperate  enterprise  on  the 
part  of  General  Longstreet,  and  cost  the  lives  of  many  brave 
men  to  no  purpose,  except  to  prove  that  the  defences  of  Knox- 
ville  were  impregnable.  During  the  night  of  the  28th — 
29th,  the  first  demonstration  was  made  by  an  attack  upon 
our  skirmish  line  to  the  right  of  the  Kingston  road,  which  re- 
suited  in  some  slight  advantage  to  the  enemy.  Sharp  skir- 
mishing continued  nearly  all  night,  with  little  result,  except  in 
annoying  our  troops  and  preventing  their  needed  rest. 


348  DELIVEKANCE   OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.      [NoVEMBEK, 

In  the  gray  of  the  morning  of  the  29th,  the  assaulting  column, 
composed  of  three  picked  brigades,  appeared.  The  garrison  of 
the  fort  was  awake  and  ready.  Eeenforcements  were  held  in 
readiness  to  throw  upon  any  point  which  was  too  hardly  pressed. 
It  was  the  men  of  the  brave  Ninth  Corps  that  held  the 
defences — the  79th  New  York  for  immediate  garrison,  with 
four  companies  of  the  17th  Michigan  in  support,  and  the  men  of 
Benjamin's  and  Buckley's  batteries  for  cannoniers.  It  was  a 
glorious  day  in  the  calendar  of  these  invincible  troops.  On- 
ward came  the  storming  party — five  regiments  in  columns  by 
divisions  closed  in  mass.  They  struck  and  stumbled  over  the 
wires  amidst  the  deadly  fire  of  our  men.  This  obstruction  was 
soon  passed.  A  number  fell  amidst  the  entanglement,  but  the 
weight  of  the  column  carried  it  through.  They  came  steadily 
on,  with  a  courage  which  extorted  the  admiration  of  their  an- 
tagonists. They  cut  away  the  abattis,  never  faltering  beneath 
the  withering  musketry  fire,  and  the  destructive  projectiles  of 
the  artillery.  They  filled  the  ditch.  Their  way  was  marked 
by  carnage  and  death.  Would  nothing  stop  those  devoted 
men  ?  A  few  mounted  the  parapet.  But  they  could  go  no 
further.  Hand  to  hand,  the  conflict  raged  with  unabated  fury. 
One  rebel,  with  a  flag,  endeavored  to  approach  the  embrasure, 
when  Sergeant  Frank  Judge,  of  Company  D,  79th  New  York, 
"  seized  him  by  the  collar  and  dragged  him  with  his  flag  into 
the  fort."  Grenades  were  thrown  into  the  ditch.  Lieutenant 
Benjamin,  with  his  own  hands,  threw  several  lighted  shells 
over  the  parapet  among  the  masses  of  the  struggling  enemy. 
"  It  stilled  them  down,"  the  Lieutenant  said. 

But  even  this  stubborn  resistance  was  not  enough  to  stop 
the  advancing  troops.  Two  guns  in  the  bastion  poured  triple 
rounds  of  canister  in  their  faces.  A  gun  upon  the  flank  swept 
the  ditch.  Still  they  continued  to  press  forward,  until  con- 
vinced that  the  attempt  was  useless,  the  assaulting  column  re- 
tired. But,  as  another  column  came  up  in  support,  the  attack 
was  renewed.  The  enemy  was  desperate,  but  our  men  were 
equally  resolute.     A  more  savage  contest  than  the  first,  if  that 


1863.]  SIEGE   OF   KNOXVILLE.  349 

were  possible,  took  place.  The  former  scenes  were  reenacted, 
with  yells  and  shouts  and  most  infernal  tumult.  The  storming 
party  again  filled  the  ditch,  and  some,  more  daring  than  their 
companions,  climbed  the  parapet  and  succeeded  in  placing 
three  of  the  enemy's  flags  there.  It  was  a  short  lived,  triumph. 
The  flags  were  quickly  torn  away.  The  foe  met  with  a 
terrible  resistance.  Muskets  were  clubbed — bayonets,  sabres, 
and  even  axes  were  employed  in  the  dreadful  work.  A  more 
determined  valor  has  not  been  displayed  on  either  side  during 
the  war  than  this  fight  in  the  trenches  and  in  front  of  Fort 
Sanders.  Mortal  men  could  endure  it  but  a  brief  period.  The 
second  assault  was  no  more  fortunate  than  the  first.  The  ene- 
my's column  faltered,  hesitated,  stopped,  was  hopelessly  broken, 
and  at  last  retired  in  great  confusion.  One  company  of  the  20th 
Michigan  from  the  right,  and  one  company  of  the,  29th  Massa- 
chusetts from  the  left,  advanced  into  the  ditch  and  captured 
two  hundred  prisoners  and  two  flags.  General  Longstreet  had 
attempted  too  much.  He  had  sent  his  chosen  men  to  useless 
slaughter.  He  was  told,  in  fire  and  blood,  that  Knoxville  could 
not  be  taken.  He  drew  off  his  forces  from  the  scene  of  his  de- 
feat. General  Burnside,  with  characteristic  humanity,  imme- 
diately after  the  fight,  directed  General  Potter  to  send  a  flag 
of  truce,  offering  the  enemy  the  privilege  of  removing  the 
wounded  and  dead  from  the  scene  of  the  conflict.  The  per- 
mission was  courteously  acknowledged,  the  slightly  wounded 
and  others  wounded  and  captured  in  previous  engagements 
were  exchanged,  the  dead  were  taken  away  and  buried,  and, 
before  night,  Fort  Sanders  had  resumed  its  wonted  aspect. 
The  enemy's  loss  in  this  assault  was  nearly  or  quite  one  thou- 
sand four  hundred  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  of  whom 
three  hundred  unhurt  fell  into  our  hands.  Our  loss  in  the  fort 
was  eight  killed,  five  wounded,  and  about  thirty  captured.* 

*  No  less  than  ninety-six  dead  bodies  were  found  in  the  ditch  and  within 
three  or  four  yards  of  it.  One  regiment  that  was  totally  annihilated,  and 
whose  flag  fell  into  our  hands,  was  ascertained  to  be  the  17th  Mississippi, 
which  had  opposed  the  crossing  at  Fredericksburg. 


350  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.      [NoVEMBEB, 

A  simultaneous  attack  was  made  by  one  brigade  of  the  enemy 
upon  our  forces  under  General  Shackleford  upon  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  which  was  attended  with  some  slight  advan- 
tage to  the  enemy  at  first,  but  was  finally  repulsed  with  severe 
loss. 

This  action  and  its  results  were  particularly  creditable  to  the 
troops  engaged,  to  Lieutenant  Benjamin,  who  was  in  immedi- 
ate command  of  the  artillery,  and  to  General  Ferrero,  who 
commanded  that  portion  of  our  defensive  line.  Lieutenant 
Benjamin  had  prepared  and  armed  the  earthwork  with  great 
care,  and  had  taken  every  precaution  against  surprise.  The 
fort  stood  at  the  angle  of  our  line  to  the  southwest  of  the  town, 
about  a  mile  out  and  north  of  the  main  Kingston  road.  It  was 
armed  with  four  20-pound  Parrotts,  four  light  12-pounders, 
and  two  3-inch  guns,  and  well  fitted  with  traverses.  A  hill  a 
short  distance  from  the  work  to  the  south  was  armed  with  two 
guns  from  Captain  Buckley's  battery.  The  northwest  bastion 
was  the  salient.  The  fort  was  open  in  the  rear  and  flanked  by 
rifle  pits.  The  parapet  was  partially  covered  with  brush,  for 
purposes  of  concealment,  and  the  embrasures  were  arranged  in 
such  a  way  as  to  enable  our  officers,  by  removing  a  few  shovel- 
fuls of  earth,  to  train  the  guns  upon  the  approaches  to  the 
northwest  bastion,  which  became  the  enemy's  point  of  attack. 
The  enemy  ran  a  parallel  about  three  hundred  yards  distant 
from  the  bastion,  about  half  enveloping  it.  He  also  posted 
batteries,  varying  from  seven  hundred  to  fifteen  hundred  yards' 
distance  from  the  fort,  upon  its  different  fronts  : — on  the  west, 
one  battery  of  six  12-pounders  and  another  of  one  20-pound 
Parrott ;  on  the  north,  one  battery  of  two  20-pound  Parrotts 
and  two  3-inch  guns,  and  two  batteries  of  two  guns  each  ; 
across  the  Holston  one  battery  of  six  guns. 

The  prisoners  taken  belonged  to  eleven  different  regiments, 
with  an  estimated  strength  of  from  two  hundred  to  four  hun- 
dred each.  The  officers  reported  that  there  were  two  brigades  to 
watch  and  fire  upon  our  lines,  one  brigade  to  assault,  and  two 
more  to  support  the  attack.     Two  brigades   actually  reached 


1863.]  SIEGE    OF   KNOXVILLE.  351 

the  ditch.  Our  own  men  in  the  fort  had  been  carefully  drilled 
for  their  part.  Each  man  had  his  proper  post,  ate  and  slept  at  it, 
so  as  to  be  ready  at  the  instant  of  alarm.  At  night,  one  man 
in  four  was  always  awake.  On  the  reception  of  an  alarm  from 
the  outer  picket,  every  man  on  watch  immediately  awakened 
his  three  comrades,  who  silently  and  at  once  took  their  assigned 
positions  at  the  parapet.*  The  result  justified  these  extraordi- 
nary precautions,  and  was  an  honorable  testimony  to  the  fidel- 
ity of  the  officer  in  command. 

The  enemy's  forces  in  this  action  consisted  of  "  three  brig- 
ades of  McLaw's  division ;  that  of  General  Wolford,  the  16th, 
18th  and  24th  Georgia  regiments  and  Cobb's  and  Phillips's 
Georgia  Legions  ;  that  of  General  Humphrey,  the  13th,  17th, 
21st,  22d  and  23d  Mississippi  regiments ;  and  a  brigade  com- 
posed of  Generals  Anderson's  and  Bryant's  brigades,  embracing, 
among  others,  the  Palmetto  State  Guard,  the  15th  South  Car- 
olina regiment,  and  the  51st,  53d  and  59th  Georgia  regi- 
ments."! Our  own  troops  were  reinforced  by  five  companies 
of  the  29th  Massachusetts,  two  companies  of  the  20th  Michi- 
gan regiments,  and  a  brigade  of  General  Hascall's  division  of 
the  twenty-third  corps. 

*  Lieutenant  Benjamin's  Report. 

t  Pollard's  History,  "  Third  Year  of  the  War,"  pp.  161, 162. 


352  DELIVERANCE   OF  EAST  TENNESSEE.      [December, 


CHAPTER   VII 


AFTER    THE    SIEGE. 


THE  attack  on  Fort  Sanders  was  the  last  important  event 
of  the  siege  of  Knoxville.  General  Grant,  on  the  28th, 
ordered  General  Sherman  to  march,  with  a  force  of  twenty-five 
thousand  men,  to  proceed  with  all  possible  despatch  to  the  re- 
lief of  General  Burnside.  General  Sherman  marched  upon  the 
south  side  of  the  Tennessee  river,  to  take  General  Longstreet 
in  the  rear.  General  Thomas,  on  the  26th,  directed  General 
Elliot,  with  his  cavalry  division,  to  proceed  from  Alexan- 
dria to  Knoxville  to  aid  in  the  relief  of  that  place.  These  wel- 
come reinforcements  were  within  two  or  three  marches  of 
Knoxville  on  the  4th  of  December.  On  the  morning  of  the 
5th,  our  pickets  reported  that  the  enemy  had  retired,  and  that 
the  siege  of  Knoxville  was  raised.  On  the  same  day,  General 
Sherman,  with  his  own  corps  and  that  of  General  Granger  and 
a  part  of  General  Howard's,  arrived  at  Marysville  and  des- 
patched an  aide-de-camp  with  the  following  hearty  message  : 
"  I  am  here,  and  can  bring  twenty-five  thousand  men  into 
Knoxville  to-morrow ;  but  Longstreet  having  retreated,  I  feel 
disposed  to  stop,  for  a  stern  chase  is  a  long  one.  But  I  will  do 
all  that  is  possible.  Without  you  specify  that  you  want  troops, 
I  will  let  mine  rest  to-morrow  and  ride  in  to  see  you.  Send  my 
aide,  Captain  Audenried,  out  with  your  letters  to-night.  We 
are  all  hearty  but  tired.  Accept  my  congratulations  at  your 
successful  defence  and  your  patient  endurance." 

General  Sherman  arrived  at  Knoxville  on  the  6th,  and  had  a 
personal  conference  with  General  Burnside  in  regard  to  the 
situation.     General  Burnside  was  of  the  opinion  that  General 


1863.]  AFTER   THE    SIEGE.  353 

Granger's  command  was  sufficient  for  all  necessary  operations. 
On  the  7th,  General  Burnside  wrote  to  General  Sherman,  ac- 
knowledging in  the  most  grateful  terms,  the  great  services  of 
his  brother  officer  in  relieving  the  besieged  forces  at  Knoxville. 
"  I  desire,"  he  said,  "  to  express  to  you  and  your  command 
my  most  hearty  thanks  and  gratitude  for  your  promptness  in 
coming  to  our  relief  during  the  siege  of  Knoxville,  and  I  am 
satisfied  that  your  approach  served  to  raise  the  siege.  The 
emergency  having  passed,  I  do  not  deem,  for  the  present,  any 
other  p'ortion  of  your  command  than  the  corps  of  General  Gran- 
ger necessary  for  operations  in  this  section  ;  and,  inasmuch  as 
General  Grant  has  weakened  the  forces  immediately  with  him 
in  order  to  relieve  us,  thereby  rendering  portions  of  General 
Thomas's  less  secure,  I  think  it  advisable  that  all  the  troops 
now  here,  except  those  commanded  by  General  Granger,  should 
return  at  once  to  within  supporting  distance  of  the  forces  ope- 
rating against  General  Bragg's  army.  In  behalf  of  my  com- 
mand, I  again  desire  to  thank  you  and  your  command  for  the 
kindness  you  have  done  us." 

General  Longstreet  slowly  retreated  up  the  north  bank  of 
the  Holston  like  a  lion  at  bay.  General  Sherman  was  too  far 
in  the  rear.  General  Burnside  had  no  men  or  animals  available 
for  rapid  pursuit,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  cavalry  for  ob- 
servation. A  portion  of  the  troops,  however,  marched  out  as 
far  as  Rutledge,  but  the  enemy  was  in  too-  strong  force  to  war- 
rant an  attack.  The  only  force  which  could  in  an  effective 
manner  impede  the  retreating  foe,  was  a  small  body  of  troops  from 
the  neighborhood  of  Tazewell  and  Cumberland  Gap,  under 
General  Foster.  This  force,  outnumbered  as  it  doubtless  was 
by  two  or  three  to  one,  could  do  little  more  than  threaten  the 
enemy's  line  of  retreat.  Still  our  troops  were  full  of  daring,  and 
marched  up  boldly  against  the  retiring  foe.  They  attacked  him 
at  Blain's  Cross  Roads,  at  Bean's  Station,  and  in  the  passes  of 
the  Clinch  Mountains,  and  succeeded  in  inflicting  upon  him 
some  injury.  General  Longstreet,  however,  did  not  leave  East 
Tennessee  entirely  until  the  following  spring,  when  he  rejoined 
45 


354  DELIVEEANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.      [Decembek, 

General  Lee  in  season  to  take  part  in  the  memorable  campaign 
of  1864. 

General  Willcox,  to  whom  had  been  entrusted  the  charge  of 
the  operations  in  the  upper  valley  and  its  neighborhood  during 
the  siege,  had  done  excellent  service  in  holding  Cumberland 
Gap  and  in  preventing  a  junction  between  General  Longstreet 
and  the  enemy's  forces  advancing  from  Virginia.  Previous 
to  the  interruption  of  communication  with  Knoxville,  orders 
had  been  transmitted  to  General  Willcox  that,  in  the  event  of 
such  a  contingency,  he  was  to  gather  up  his  garrisons  and 
trains  and  withdraw  to  Cumberland  Gap.*  His  command  at 
that  time  consisted  of  the  Indiana  regiments  and  the  batteries 
already  mentioned,  with  a  skeleton  regiment  of  recruits  from 
North  Carolina,  and  two  brigades  of  cavalry  under  Colonels 
Graham  and  Garrard.  With  these,  General  Willcox  was 
holding  the  passes  of  the  Bull  Mountains,  and  scouting  towards 
Greeneville  and  Newport.  At  Morristown,  he  had  the  32d 
Kentucky  infantry,  the  11th  Michigan  battery  and  a  battalion 
of  mounted  Tennesseeans.  At  Mossy  creek  was  a  battalion  of 
Tennessee  recruits  under  Colonel  Patten.  He  had  an  immense 
wagon  train  to  carry  in  safety  with  these  troops  to  Cumberland 
Gap,  a  distance  of  fifty-two  miles.  He  conducted  the  move- 
ment with  great  skill.  On  the  morning  of  the  18th,  he  sent 
out  his  cavalry  to  demonstrate  against  the  enemy  at  Kingsport, 
and  under  cover  of  this  feigned  movement,  quietly  withdrew  his 
infantry  and  trains.  The  roads  were  crowded  with  refugees  and 
their  property,  and  the  march  was  slow.  During  the  night  of 
the  18th,  he  collected  all  his  troops  and  trains  without  accident 
of  any  kind  at  Bean's  Station.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  19th, 
he  put  his  command  on  the  march,  with  his  cavalry  well  out  in 
front,  on  his  flanks  and  in  his  rear,  reached  Tazewell  safely  on 
that  night,  and  Cumberland  Gap  in  the  evening  of  the  20th. 
One  of  his  cavalry  parties,  scouting  towards  Jonesville,  sur- 
prised and  broke  up  the  camp  of  the  64th  Virginia  reo-iment, 
scattered  the  troops  and  drove  them  two   or  three  miles,  cap- 


1863.]  AFTER   THE   SIEGE.  855 

turing  and  destroying  a  large  portion  of  their  arms  and  camp 
equipage. 

General  Willcox  remained  at  Cumberland  Gap  during  the 
remainder  of  the  month,  employing  his  men  in  scouting,  gath- 
ering subsistence  and  forage,  and  obtaining  what  information 
was  accessible.  At  one  time  he  communicated  with  Knoxville 
by  means  of  a  courier,  who  bravely  and  cunningly  made  his 
way  through  the  enemy's  lines.  Major  Behr,  with  a  battalion 
of  Illinois  cavalry,  made  a  dash  upon  the  enemy  at  Jonesville 
and  drove  him  across  the  Powell  river  with  considerable  loss. 
General  Willcox  also  organized  an  expedition  against  Abing- 
don and  the  salt  works  in  that  neighborhood,  but  owing  to  va- 
rious circumstances,  the  party  did  not  get  off.  On  the  30th, 
General  John  G.  Foster  arrived  at  the  Gap,  and  on  the  1st  of 
December,  the  entire  command,  with  the  exception  of  a  small 
garrison  left  at  Cumberland  Gap  to  hold  the  post,  started 
towards  Knoxville  to  cooperate  with  the  other  columns  moving 
up  from  Chattanooga.  On  the  next  day,  Colonel  Graham's 
cavalry,  with  two  regiments  of  infantry  and  Captain  Patterson's 
21st  Ohio  battery,  had  a  smart  engagement  with  the  enemy's 
cavalry  under  General  Martin,  near  Walker's  ford,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  punishing  them  quite  severely.  Our  loss  was  about 
fifty  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  enemy's  loss  was  considera- 
bly greater,  and  our  cavalry  captured  one  hundred  and  fifty 
prisoners. 

With  the  successful  termination  of  the  siege  of  Knoxville 
closed  the  active  services  of  General  Burnside  in  East  Tennes- 
see. Before  General  Long-street's  withdrawal,  the  command 
of  the  Department  of  Ohio  was  transferred  by  the  Secretary  of 
War  to  General  Foster.  But  General  Foster  did  not  succeed 
in  reaching  Knoxville  until  nearly  the  middle  of  December. 
On  the  11th  of  that  month,  General  Burnside  formally  com- 
mitted the  Department  into  the  hands  of  his  successor.  The 
general  orders,  both  of  General  Burnside  and  of  General  Foster, 
are  expressive  of  such  sincere  and  appreciative  friendship  as  to 
deserve  a  place  in  these  annals.     General  Burnside's  order  was 


356  DELIVERANCE    OP   EAST   TENNESSEE.      [Decembek, 

dated  at  Knoxville,  December  11th,  and  was  as  follows  :  "  In 
obedience  to  orders  from  the  War  Department,  the  Command- 
ing General  this  day  resigns  to  Major  General  John  G.  Foster 
the  command  of  the  Army  o*f  the  Ohio. 

"  On  severing  the  tie  which  has  united  him  to  this  gallant 
army,  he  cannot  express  his  deep  personal  feeling  at  parting 
front  men  brought  near  to  him  by  their  mutual  experiences  in 
the  eventful  scenes  of  the  past  campaign,  and  who  have  always, 
regardless  of  every  privation  and  every  danger,  cheerfully  and 
faithfully  performed  their  duty.  Associated  with  many  of 
their  number  from  the  earliest  days  of  the  war,  he  takes  leave 
of  this  army,  not  only  as  soldiers  to  whose  heroism  many  a 
victorious  battle  field  bears  witness,  but  as  well  tried  friends, 
who  in  the  darkest  hours  have  never  failed  him.  With  the  sin- 
cerest  regret  he  leaves  the  Department  without  the  opportunity 
of  personally  bidding  them  farewell. 

"  To  the  citizen  soldiers  of  East  Tennessee,  who  proved  their 
loyalty  in  the  trenches  of  Knoxville,  he  tenders  his  warmest 
thanks. 

"  With  the  highest  confidence  in  the  patriotism  and  skill  of 
the  distinguished  officer  who  succeeds  him,  with  whom  he  has 
been  long  and  intimately  connected  in  the  field,  and  who  will 
be  welcomed  as  their  leader  by  those  who  served  with  him  in 
the  memorable  campaign  in  North  Carolina,  and  by  all  as  one 
identified  with  some  of  the  most  brilliant  events  of  the  war,  he 
transfers  to  him  the  command,  assured  that  under  his  guidance 
the  bright  record  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  will  never  grow 
dim." 

General  Foster  gracefully  responded  :  "  In  compliance  with 
the  orders  of  the  War  Department,  Major  General  John  G. 
Foster  assumes  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio. 

"  He  accepts  with  pride  a  position  which  his  predecessor 
has  rendered  illustrious. 

"  After  a  long  period  of  unbroken  friendship,  strengthened 
by  the  intimate  relations  of  active  service  with  him  in  a  cam- 
paign which  is  prominent  in  the  history  of  the  Avar,  he  can  add 


1863.]  AFTER   THE    SIEGE.  357 

to  the  general  voice  his  tribute  to  the  high  worth  and  stainless 
name  of  the  recent  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio.  The 
work  he  has  so  ably  planned  and  vigorously  conducted,  it  will 
be  the  aim  of  the  commanding  general  to  complete. 

"  For  the  future  of  this  command  he  has  no  fears.  The  re- 
sults of  their  past  are  around  them,  and  confident  with  these 
high  evidences  of  what  he  may  expect  from  their  courage  and 
their  patriotism,* he  assures  them  that  to  the  fulfilment  of  their 
mission  his  utmost  efforts  shall  not  be  wanting." 

General  Burnside  left  Knoxville  on  the  14th,  and  arrived  at 
his  home  in  Providence  on  the  23d.  While  on  his  way,  he 
stopped  at  Cincinnati  for  a  day  or  two,  and  in  the  course  of  a 
public  address  in  that  city,  he  modestly  disclaimed  the  honors 
which  were  offered  him,  declaring  that  they  "belonged  to  his 
under  officers  and  the  men  in  the  ranks."  Major  Burrage 
gratefully  acknowledges  the  kindness  of  these  words,  and  de- 
clares that  it  will  ever  be  the  pride  of  these  officers  and  men  to 
say  :  "  We  fought  with  Burnside  at  Campbell's  Station  and  in 
the  trenches  at  Knoxville."  The  Congress  of  the  United 
States  passed,  and  on  the  28th  of  January,  1864,  the  President 
approved  a  resolution  providing  "  that  the  thanks  of  Congress 
be,  and  they  hereby  are,  presented  to  Major  General  Ambrose 
E.  Burnside  and  through  him  to  the  officers  and  men  who  have 
fought  under  his  command,  for  their  gallantry,  good  conduct, 
and  soldierlike  endurance." 

The  deliverance  of  East  Tennessee  and  its  subsequent  pre- 
servation from  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  were  considered  of  so 
great  importance  by  the  President  as  to  receive  from  him,  not 
only  his  personal  thanks,  but  also  an  official  public  recognition. 
On  the  7th  of  December,  he  issued  a  proclamation  referring,  in 
congratulatory  terms,  to  the  fact  that  the  enemy  had  retreated 
from  before  Knoxville,  "  under  circumstances  rendering  it  prob- 
able that  the  Union  forces  cannot  hereafter  be  dislodged  from 
that  important  position,"  and  recommending  that  "  all  loyal 
people  do,  on  receipt  of  this  information,  assemble  at  their 
places  of  worship,  and  render  special  homage  and  gratitude  to 


358  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST   TENNESSEE.        [JANUAET, 


Almighty  God  for  this  great  advancement  of  the  national 
cause."  The  intelligence  was  received  in  all  sections  with  the 
liveliest  gratification.  It  was  generally  understood  that  the 
blow  given  to  the  insurgent  cause  was  especially  severe 
and  damaging  in  its  effects.  General  Lee  so  regarded  it,  and 
at  one  time  was  seriously  inclined  to  strengthen  General  Long- 
street,  and  make  a  grand  combined  effort  to  wrest  this  region 
from  our  grasp.  But  the  advent  of  General  'Grant  upon  the 
scene  of  operations  at  the  East  convinced  him  that  all  his 
strength  would  be  required  in  that  quarter,  and  the  rebel  forces 
reluctantly  turned  their  steps  away  from  East  Tennessee. 

General  Longstreet,  however,  caused  our  troops  considera- 
ble annoyance  during  the  winter.  He  retreated  beyond  our 
line  of  communication  with  Cumberland  Gap,  but  established 
himself  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rosrersville  and  Morristown. 
Thence  he  occasionally  sent  out  detachments  of  his  force,  and 
attempted  to  embarrass  our  troops  in  the  matter  of  supplies. 
At  one  time  in  January,  1864,  a  portion  of  his  army  ap- 
proached Knoxville  and  gave  rise  to  certain  apprehensions  that 
another  siege  was  contemplated.  "  Well  informed  refugees  " 
reported  that  large  reinforcements  had  been  sent  from  General 
Lee's  army  in  Virginia,  and  that  a  great  battle  was  imminent. 
The  emergency,  if  it  ever  really  existed,  soon  passed,  without 
a  decisive  engagement.  A  few  lively  skirmishes  relieved  the 
tedium  of  winter  quarters. 

General  Willcox  rejoined  the  Ninth  Corps  on  the  17th  of 
January,  and  relieved  General  Potter.  On  the  21st,  a  very 
brisk  engagement  took  place  at  Strawberry  Plains.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  movement  was  the  destruction  of  the  bridge  near 
that  point  across  the  Holston  river.  The  Corps  moved  from 
Blain's  Cross  Koads  on  the  16th,  and  encamped  near  the 
bridge.  On  the  20th,  the  enemy  made  a  dash  upon  our  pick- 
ets, but  was  speedily  repulsed.  The  bridge  was  destroyed  on 
the  night  of  the  20th,  and  the  next  morning  our  forces  formed 
in  line  of  battle.  Colonel  Morrison's  brigade  of  the  first  division 
was  in  front,  with    Gittings's   battery  of  artillery.     Colonel  E. 


1864.]  AFTEB   THE    SIEGE.  359 

W  Pierce's  brigade  guarded  the  fords  two  miles  below,  Colo- 
nel Collins's  brigade  of  the  second  division  was  held  in  reserve. 
The  enemy  appeared  at  eleven  o'clock  a.  m.,  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  river,  and  placing  a  battery  of  six  guns  in  position,  opened 
fire  upon  our  lines.  Our  own  artillery  promptly  responded, 
and  an  artillery  duel  ensued,  continuing  for  four  hours,  after 
which  the  enemy  retired.  But  little  loss  was  suffered  on  either 
side.  The  bridge  was  destroyed,  and  on  the  next  day  the 
Corps  marched  to  Knoxville,  followed  by  the  enemy's  cavalry 
at  a  very  respectful  distance,  which  was  increased  on  the 
advance  of  the  27th  Michigan- regiment.  On  the  26th,  Gen- 
eral Willcox  was  relieved  by  General  Parke,  who  had  re- 
turned to  Knoxville  from  leave  of  absence.  General  Willcox 
took  command  of  the  second  division,  which  was  posted  at 
Lyon's  Mill,  below  Knoxville.  This  division  accompanied 
General  Schofield  in  his  advance  upon  Morristown  in  the  latter 
part  of  February. 

The  conclusion  of  the  siege  of  Knoxville  may  fairly  be  taken 
as  the  termination  of  the  active  campaign  of  the  Corps  in  East 
Tennessee.  There  was  but  little  additional  fighting,  but  there 
was  much  hard  service  in  watching  the  enemy  and  preventing 
him  from»making  inroads  upon  our  lines.  Supplies  of  clothing 
and  food  were  somewhat  scanty,  and  the  troops  in  some  in- 
stances suffered  severely  in  consequence.  _  Mention  is  made,  in 
some  reports  from  that  quarter,  of  the  almost  utter  destitution 
to  which  the  men  were  reduced.  Six  spoonfuls  of  flour  and 
the  scattered  corn  that  could  be  picked  up  from  under  the  feet 
of  the  animals,  were  all  that  could  be  procured  for  a  week's  ra- 
tions. "  One  table  spoonful  of  coffee  was  issued  once  in  from 
three  to  five  days.  The  men  were  unable  to  subsist  upon  such 
allowance,  and  each  morning  there  could  have  been  seen  parties 
of  two  and  three  in  search  of  food.  Some  of  the  loyal  Tennessee- 
ans  would  meet  them  with  smiles ;  and  upon  being  asked  for 
bread,  they  would  reply  in  their  peculiar  vernacular,  that 
'  they  were  plumb  out,'  and  had  not '  a  dust  of  meal  in  the  house.' 


360  DELIVERANCE    OF   EAST    TENNESSEE.        [January, 

Many  of  the  men  were  barefooted,  and  raw  hide  was  issued  to 
be  made  into  moccasins."* 

Such  were  the  circumstances  amid  which  the  movement  fot 
the  redemption  of  the  loyal  people  of  Tennessee  was  consum- 
mated. ..The  soldiers  of  the  Ninth  Corps  exhibited  as  heroic  a 
spirit  in  the  endurance  of  hardships  as  in  the  achievement  of  vic- 
tories. As  no  foes  could  appall  them,  so  no  privations  could  sub- 
due. With  cheerful  and  even  eager  alacrity,  they  were  willing 
to  take  up  new  duties  and  bear  new  pains  in  behalf  of  the 
country  for  which  they  fought  and  suffered.  They  proved  to 
the  enemy  that  they  could  not  be  conquered,  and  he  was  forced 
to  be  content  with  the  loss  of  the  important  section  which  they 
had  wrested  from  his  grasp.  The  Ninth  Corps  was  soon  to  re- 
turn to  the  East  and  participate  in  movements  of  a  more  start- 
ling and  conspicuous  nature.  But  it  may  safely  be  recorded, 
that,  of  the  important  operations  of  1863,  the  Deliverance 
of  East  Tennessee  deserves  to  hold  an  equal  rank  with  the 
victory  which  turned  the  tide  of  invasion  from  Pennsylvania, 
and  is  not  far  behind  the  magnificent  triumph  which  gave  the 
Mississippi  once  more  to  the  Eepublic  ! 

*  Letter  from  an  officer  in  the  29th.  Massachusetts,  in  "  Massachusetts  in  the 
Rebellion,"  p.  330. 


THE  LAST  YEAE 


OF 


THE     REBELLION 


46 


THE  LAST  YEAE 


THE     EEBELLION 


CHAPTER     I 


REORGANIZATION 


THE  necessity  of  a  change  in  the  chief  direction  of  the 
armies  of  the  United  States  had,  for  a  considerable  time, 
been  apparent  both  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army,  and  to 
the  people  of  the  country.  The  brilliant  and  most  important  suc- 
cesses of  General  Grant  in  Mississippi,  Tennessee  and  Georgia, 
which  were  due  to  his  military  genius  and  his  admirable  persis- 
tence, pointed  him  out  as  the  man  best  fitted  for  command.  But 
General  Grant  had  but  just  been  appointed  to  the  regular  army,* 
and  the  jealousies  of  rank  were  to  be  avoided,  if  possible.  Con- 
gress composed  whatever  difficulty  might  thus  arise,  by  pass- 
ing a  bill  to  revive  the  full  grade  of  Lieutenant  General,  the 
brevet  of  which  had  already  been  conferred  upon  General 
Scott.  The  President  approved  the  bill  on  the  29th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1864.  The  act  provided  that  the  person  to  fill  the  position 
should  "  be  selected  from  among  those  officers  in  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States  not  below  the  grade  of  Major  Gen- 
eral, most  distinguished  for  courage,  skill  and  ability."  "  Be- 
ing commissioned  as  Lieutenant  General,"  he  was  to  be  "  au- 


*  Major  General,  July  4,  1803. 


364  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Maech, 

thorized,  under  the  direction  and  during  the  pleasure  of  the 
President,  to  command  the  armies  of  the  United  States."  The 
President  immediately  appointed  General  Grant  to  fill  the 
honorable  post,  and  on  the  2d  of  March  the  appointment  was 
confirmed  and  the  commission  issued.  General  Grant  was  sum- 
moned to  Washington,  and  on  the  9th  the  President,  in  the 
presence  of  the  Cabinet  and  several  distinguished  personages, 
formally  gave  into  the  hands  of  the  successful  officer  the  com- 
mission which  he  had  so  bravely  won.  The  wishes  of  the  coun- 
try and  of  the  army  had  become  so  unmistakable,  that  General 
Halleck  went  through  the  formality  of  requesting  to  be  relieved. 
On  the  12th,  General  Grant  was  assigned  to  the  "  command 
of  the  armies  of  the  United  States,"  and  on  the  17th,  he  as- 
sumed the  command,  in  General  Orders.  Headquarters  were 
to  be  in  the  field  and  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Order, 
vigor,  a  settled  purpose  and  plan  at  once  took  the  place  of  the 
feeble  and  unstable  policy  which  had  characterized  the  previ- 
ous administration  of  military  affairs. 

The  discussion  of  this  and  other  similar  questions  in  Con- 
gress and  among  the  people  had  directed  the  public  attention 
to  the  necessity  of  vigorous  measures.  It  was  determined  to 
fill  the  depleted  corps  of  the  different  armies  to  their  maxi- 
mum number.  Great  exertions  were  made  during  the  winter 
of  1868— '84  to  place  the  entire  army  upon  a  basis  of  enduring 
strength,  and  to  give  to  it  such  efficiency  as  would  make  the  ap- 
proaching campaign  the  great  and  final  campaign  of  the  war. 
With  an  effective  army  and  able  officers,  the  nation  indulged 
the  hope  of  complete  success.  The  victories  of  the  past  were 
full  of  promise  for  the  future.  If  the  army  was  put  into  the 
field  at  the  proper  time,  with  proper  materiel  and  a  sufficient 
number  of  men,  the  result  would  be  a  glorious  triumph.  Gen- 
eral Sherman  was  to  conduct  operations  in  the  West,  and  his 
great  march  was  already  projected  in  the  mind  of  General 
Grant.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  to  fight  over  its  old 
ground  for  its  long-desired  object.  General  Grant  was  deter- 
mined to  crush  the  strength  of  the  rebellion  by  the  utter  defeat 


1864.]  REORGANIZATION.  365 

of  the  rebel  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  General  Lee  was  to 
share  the  fate  of  Generals  Buckner,  Pemberton  and  Bragg. 
On  what  field  was  the  Ninth  Corps  to  win  fresh  laurels  ?  The 
answer  to  that  question  was  not  long  left  in  doubt.  / 

On  the  7th  of  January,  General  Burnside  was  again  assigned 
to  duty  as  commander  of  the  Ninth  Corps.  His  special  task 
was  to  "  recruit  and  fill  up  the  old  regiments"  of  the  Corps,  and 
to  increase  its  strength  to  the  number  of  "  fifty  thousand  men 
for  such  service  as  the  War  Department "  might  "  specially 
designate."  The  field  of  this  duty  was  in  the  New  England 
States,  New  York,  Michigan  and  Pennsylvania,  so  far  as  the 
regiments  from  those  States  already  in  the  Corps  were  con- 
cerned. Old  regiments  were  first  to  be  increased  at  least  to 
their  minimum  strength,  after  which  new  regiments  were  to  be 
raised.  The  details  of  the  work  required  frequent  conferences 
with  the  Governors  of  the  above  named  States,  and  General 
Burnside  soon  found  himself  very  busily  engaged  in  travel  and 
labor.  The  task  of  recruiting,  though  in  competition  with  other 
favorite  corps,  was  carried  forward  with  great  activity  and 
commendable  success. 

During  the  months  of  January,  February  and  March,  Gene- 
ral Burnside  was  constantly  employed  in  gathering  recruits  and 
in  organizing  them  into  their  proper  commands.  The  Gover- 
nors of  the  different  States  gave  their  full  cooperation,  and 
wherever  he  went,  the  people  greeted  him  with  enthusiasm  and 
cordiality.  In  some  instances,  the  Legislatures  of  the  States 
which  he  visited  were  in  session,  and  public  receptions  were 
tendered  him  with  every  expression  of  respectful  and  even 
affectionate  interest.  Massachusetts,  always  forward  to  recog- 
nize the  worth  of  faithful  public  service,  and  Maine,  always 
loyal  to  the  defenders  of  the  Republic,  gave  him  a  public  wel- 
come which  was  peculiarly  gratifying  to  his  feelings.  The 
Ninth  Corps  had  thus  the  promise  of  a  substantial  support  and 
reenforcement.  In  addition  to  the  white  troops  that  were  to  be 
raised,  it  was  decided — in  consonance  with  General  Burnside's 
recommendation — to  annex  to  the  Corps  a  sufficient  number  of 


366  LAST    YEAR   OF    THE   REBELLION.  [MAECH, 

colored  soldiers  to  form  a  division.  General  Burnside  had, 
for  a  considerable  time,  been  in  favor  of  the  employment  of 
cftlored  troops,  and  was  desirous  of  incorporating  them  with 
his  command.  The  matter  was  laid  before  the  War  Depart- 
ment as  early  as  the  26th  of  January,  and,  after  some  delay, 
received  the  approval  of  the  Secretary. 

General  Burnside  also  submitted,  on  the  same  day,  a  plan 
of  operations,  which  contemplated  the  occupation  of  North 
Carolina  and  the  reduction  of  that  entire  State  to  the  Federal 
authority.  Wilmington,  which  had  long  been  the  great  entre- 
pot of  supplies  for  the  rebellious  government,  was  to  be  taken, 
and  the  railroads  in  the  interior  of  North  Carolina  were  to  be 
occupied  and  held.  This  movement  would  compel  the  evacua- 
tion of  Virginia  and  place  Richmond  at  our  mercy,  or  it  would 
at  least  draw  off  a  sufficient  number  of  men  from  General  Lee's 
army  to  make  it  easy  for  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  fall  on 
and  defeat,  capture  or  destroy  its  steadfast  enemy.  General 
Burnside  thus  hoped  to  be  employed  upon  a  coastwise  expedi- 
tion, and,  with  his  old  soldiers  of  1861  and  1862,  complete  the 
course  of  his  public  service  on  the  fields  which  had  been  the 
scene  of  his  early  triumphs.  It  certainly  would  have  been  a 
fitting  close  to  the  history  of  his  brave  command.  But  the 
Lieutenant  General  had  other  objects  in  view.  He  already  had 
his  eye  fixed  upon  the  route  which  General  Burnside  had  once 
essayed  to  follow,  and,  knowing  its  difficulties,  which  were  now 
greater  than  ever  before,  and  also  its  advantages,  was  disposed 
to  use  all  his  available  means  to  achieve  success.  A  coastwise 
expedition  was  not  yet  to  be  attempted.  But,  doubtless  with 
the  design  of  concealing  the  real  plan  of  the  campaign  both 
from  friend  and  foe,  General  Grant  somewhat  encouraged  the 
hope,  that  the  Corps  would  eventually  be  employed  in  North 
Carolina,  and  it  was  only  within  a  short  time  of  the  opening  of 
the  campaign  that  General  Burnside  himself  was  apprised  of 
his  destination. 

On  the  8th  of  March,  the  Secretaiy  of  War  designated  An- 


1864.]  REORGANIZATION.  367 

napolis,  Maryland,  as  the  "  depot  and  rendezvous  "  for  the 
Ninth  Corps.  The  new  regiments  were  to  be  sent  to  that  point 
as  soon  as  their  recruitment  and  organization  were  complete. 
The  old  regiments  of  the  Corps  then  in  East  Tennessee  were 
also  ordered  thither.  General  Parke  had  already  come  East, 
and  General  Willcox  superintended  the  removal  of  the  troops. 
The  Corps  left  Knoxville  on  the  17th-23d  of  March,  marched 
to  Nicholasville,  Kentucky,  thence  moved  by  rail,  and  arrived 
at  Annapolis  in  the  early  part  of  the  following  month.  The 
old  regiments  were  filled  up  by  reenlistments  and  new  levies, 
five  cavalry  and  twelve  infantry  regiments  and  five  batteries  of 
artillery,  besides  the  colored  troops,  were  added  to  the  veterans 
of  the  Corps,  and  by  the  20th  of  April,  the  strength  of  the 
command  was  fully  twenty-five  thousand  men. 

On  rthe  11th  of  April,  General  Burnside  left  his  home  in 
Providence  for  his  last  campaign,  and  repaired  immediately  to 
Annapolis.  For  the  next  two  weeks,  he  was  occupied  in  ar- 
ranging, reorganizing,  equipping  and  arming  the  command. 
The  Corps  was  formed  into  four  divisions.  General  Parke  was 
made  Chief  of  Staff.  Brigadier  General  Thomas  G.  Stevenson, 
once  Colonel  of  the  24th  Massachusetts,  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  first  division ;  General  Potter  to  that  of  the 
second ;  General  Willcox  to  that  of  the  third  ;  and  General 
Ferrero  to  that  of  the  fourth,  composed  entirely  of  the  colored 
troops.  The  expectation  of  embarking  was  still  kept  alive,  and 
many  a  curious  eye  scanned  the  southern  horizon,  eagerly 
watching  the  waters  of  Chesapeake  Bay  to  discover,  if  possible, 
the  transports  which  were  to  carry  the  troops  to  North  Caro- 
lina. Many  would  scarcely  believe  their  senses,  even  while 
the  harbor  of  Annapolis  exhibited  nothing  but  its  usual  monot- 
onous quiet,  and  insisted  that  the  transports  were  concealed  in 
some  retired  creeks  and  inlets  below  the  town,  to  be  sent  up  at 
the  instant  of  embarkation. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  General  Burnside  was  ordered  to  have 
his  command   in  readiness   to  move   from   Annapolis  at  the 


368  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE    REBELLION.  [Apeil, 

shortest  notice  after  the  20th  of  that  month.  Every  arrange- 
ment was  accordingly  made,  and  on  the  23d,  at  early  morning, 
the  Ninth  Corps  broke  camp  and  took  up  its  line  of  march. 
The  direction  was  not  towards  the  harbor,  but  into  the  inte- 
rior, and  the  column  was  soon  on  the  road  to  Washington, 
whither  General  Burnside  repaired  by  rail.  General  Willcox 
had  direction  of  the  march,  and,  on  the  night  of  the  24th,  en- 
camped his  command  on  the  Bladensburg  road,  about  six  miles 
distant  from  the  Capital.  In  Washington,  it  began  to  be  ru- 
mored that  the  Ninth  Corps  would  pass  thrqugh  the  city,  and 
that  a  division  of  colored  troops,  five  or  six  thousand  strong, 
was  incorporated  in  the  column.  The  citizens  were  on  the  qui 
vive,  the  members  of  Congress  and  the  President  were  eager  to 
witness  the  movement.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
the  25th,  the  head  of  the  column  entered  the  city,  and  by 
eleven,  the  Corps  was  marching  down  New  York  Avenue. 
Halting  a  short  distance  from  the  corner  of  Fourteenth  street, 
the  column  closed  up,  and  prepared  to  pay  a  marching  salute 
to  the  President,  who,  with  General  Burnside  and  a  few  friends, 
was  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  troops.  The  President  and  his 
party  occupied  a  balcony  over  the  entrance  of  Willard's  Hotel. 
The  scene  was  one  of  great  beauty,  spirit  and  animation. 
The  day  was  superbly  clear.  A  cool  wind  breathed  through 
the  soft  air  of  the  early  Spring.  Rain  had  fallen  during  the 
previous  night,  and  there  was  no  dust  to  cause  discomfort  to 
the  soldiers  or  the  spectators.  The  troops  marched  and  ap- 
peared exceedingly  well.  Their  soiled  and  tattered  flags,  bear- 
ing inscriptions  of  battles  in  six  States,  east  and  west,  were 
silent  and  affecting  witnesses  of  their  valor  and  their  sacrifices. 
The  firm  and  soldierly  bearing  of  the  veterans,  the  eager  and 
expectant  countenances  of  the  men  and  officers  of  the  new  regi- 
ments, the  gay  trappings  of  the  cavalry,  the  thorough  equip- 
ment and  fine  condition  of  the  artillery,  were  all  subjects  of 
warm  commendation.  Multitudes  of  spectators  filled  the 
streets  and  greeted  the  column  with  enthusiastic  cheers;     Gen- 


1864.]  REORGANIZATION.  369 

eral  Ferrero's  division  was  the  first  body  of  colored  troops  of 
any  magnitude  that  ever  marched  through  Washington,  and 
their  fine  appearance  and  demeanor,  though  they  had  been  but 
a  week  or  two  in  the  service,  elicited  numerous  expressions  of 
the  heartiest  approval.  Mr.  Lincoln  himself  seemed  greatly 
pleased,  and  acknowledged  the  cheers  and  plaudits  of  the  col- 
ored soldiers  with  a  dignified  kindness  and  courtesy.  As  they 
saw  the  modest  and  true  gentleman  who,  with  head  uncovered, 
witnessed  their  march,  a  spirit  of  wild  enthusiasm  ran  through 
their  ranks.  They  shouted,  they  cheered,  they  swung  their 
caps  in  the  exuberance  of  their  joy.  They  were  now  freemen. 
They  had  a  grand  and  glorious  object  to  live  for.  They  would 
now  make  a  history  for  their  race,  and  there,  looking  down  upon 
them,  was  the  man  who  had  given  them  this  magnificent  oppor- 
tunity, and  who  was  opening  before  them  a  new  path  of  ambi- 
tion and  hope  !  It  was  a  spectacle  which  made  many  eyes 
grow  moist  and  dim.  Through  the  greater  part  of  the  day, 
the  column,  with  its  long  .wagon  train,  filled  the  streets  of  the 
city.  And  thus  the  Corps  that  had  never  lost  a  flag  or  a  gun 
marched  through  Washington !  Crossing  Long  Bridge,  the 
troops  went  into  camp  in  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria. 

Even  then,  many  of  the  officers  and  men  had  not  entirely 
given  up  the  thought  of  moving  to  some  point  upon  the 
southern  coast.  They  still  cherished  the  hope  that  transports 
would  be  put  in  readiness  for  them  at  Alexandria.  But  the 
duty  to  winch  the  Corps  was  now  assigned  effectually  dispelled 
any  such  idea.  To  guard  the  Alexandria  and  Orange  Rail- 
road, from  the  Bapidan  to  the  Potomac,  was  the  immediate 
work  to  which  General  Grant  had  appointed  the  command. 
General  Willcox,  who  was  still  in  charge,  established  his  head- 
quarters at  Manassas,  and  distributed  the  different  divisions  of 
the  Corps  along  the  railroad.  In  the  course  of  the  next  few 
days,  General  Burnside  had  made  his  personal  preparations  to 
take  the  field.  On  the  27th,  he  proceeded  to  Manassas,  and 
thence  to  Warrenton  Junction,  and,  through  all  the  stirring 
47 


370  LAST   TEAK   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Mat, 

scenes  of  the  next  four  months,  commanded  the  Corps  in  per- 
son. It  was  definitely  settled  by  the  1st  of  May,  that  the 
Ninth  Corps  was  to  operate  in  Virginia,  in  immediate  connec- 
tion with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Once  more  the  soil  of 
Virginia  was  to  be  ensanguined  with  the  blood  of  brave  men, 
and  to  tremble  beneath  the  roar  of  artillery  and  the  march  of 
armies. 


1864.]  WILDERNESS   AND    SPOTTSTLVANIA.  371 


CHAPTER    II 

THE   WILDERNESS    AND    SPOTTSTLVANIA. 

THE  Battle  Summer  of  1864  was  a  season  of  sanguinary- 
conflicts,  unsurpassed  and  even  unequalled  by  any  that 
had  yet  been  recorded  in  the  annals  of  this  bloody  war.  Gen- 
eral Grant  had  said  that  the  "  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  never 
fought  out  its  battles."  He  seemed  determined  now  to  carry 
his  command  through  to  victory,  cost  what  it  would.  In  his 
own  words,  he  was  resolved  "  to  fight  it  out  on  that  line,  even 
if  took  all  summer."  General  Lee  was  equally  resolute  in  his 
resistance.  The  contending  armies  were  equally  brave.  They 
were  both  composed  of  Americans,  with  all  the  courage  and 
determination  of  the  race — the  finest  citizen  soldiers  in  the 
world.  Able  officers  on  both  sides  directed  the  movements  of 
the  opposing  forces.  The  question  was  one  of  endurance  and 
resource.  Who  could  give,  who  could  withstand  the  hardest 
"  hammering? "  ?  Who  could  bring;  the  largest  number  of  men 
into  the  field  ?  Who  could  animate  those  men  with  the  live- 
liest hope,  or  endue  them  with  the  most  persistent  fortitude  ? 
It  was  sufficiently  manifest  that  the  first  aggressive  movement 
of  either  party,  which  had  lain  quiescent  so  long  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Rapidan,  would  inaugurate  the  life  and  death  struggle 
of  the  rebellion. 

General  Grant  took  the  initiative.  On  the  3d  of  May,  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  was  put  in  motion  from  its  camps  upon 
the  north  bank  of  the  Rapidan.  General  Grant's  plan  was  to 
turn  the  enemy's  position  upon  the  south  bank,  by  a  rapid 
march  in  the  direction  of  Spottsylvania  Court  House.  He 
hoped  to  draw    General  Lee   oat  of  his   fortified   position  and 


372  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  ,   [May, 

fight,  him  on  more  favorable  ground.  A  part  of  the  army- 
crossed  the  Rapidan  at  Germania  ford ;  the  remainder  crossed 
the  Eappahannock  at  United  States  ford ;  all  moved  with 
promptness.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  4th,  the  Ninth  Corps  was 
ordered  to  follow  with  all  despatch,  and  reenforce  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac.  The  bulk  of  the  Corps  was  then  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Rappahannock  by  the  Alexandria  Railroad,  holding 
that  road  back  to  Bull  Run.  It  was  to  move  as  soon  as  a 
crossing  of  the  Rapidan  had  been  secured  by  the  army  in  front. 
General  Burnside  at  once  put  his  Corps  in  motion,  and  proceed- 
ed with  all  speed  to  the  scene  of  operations.  He  marched  through 
the  4th  until  after  midnight,  went  into  bivouac  for  a  few  hours 
and  was  again  upon  the  road  at  an  early  hour  on  the  5th.  The 
advance  of  the  Corps  crossed  the  Rapidan  at  Germania  ford  on 
the  night  of  that  day.  A  cloud  of  dust  upon  the  right  showed 
that  other  movements  were  going  on.  It  proved  to  be  the 
march  of  General  Longstreet's  corps,  that  was  hastening  on  a 
parallel  road  to  the  aid  of  General  Lee.  The  two  antagonists 
were  once  more  pitted  against  each  other,  and  arrived  almost, 
simultaneously  upon  the  field  where  their  chiefs  were  con- 
tending. 

On  the  5th,  General  Lee  struck  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
amid  the  entanglements  of  the  Wilderness,  and  for  two  days  a 
stubborn  and  bloody  battle  raged.  Among  the  trees,  in  the 
under  brush,  along  the  forest  paths,  the  armies  grappled  with 
each  other,  mostly  in  detached  bodies  of  regiments  and  brigades. 
But  little  artillery  was  used,  except  in  the  roads,  and  the 
ground  was  unfavorable  for  the  movements  of  cavalry.  It  was 
almost  entirely  an  infantry  fight,  and  was  illustrated  by  many 
individual  instances  of  heroic  daring.  Early  on  the  morning  of 
the  6th,  General  Burnside  led  his  corps  into  the  action  near 
the  Wilderness  tavern.  The  command  had  marched  a  distance 
of  thirty  miles — a  portion  ten  or  fifteen  more — crossing  both 
the  Rappahannock  and  Rapidan  rivers.  The  colored  division 
had  marched  from  Manassas  Junction,  leaving  there  on  the  4th, 
arriving  at  Catlett's  at  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  5th, 


1864.]  WILDERNESS    AND    SPOTTSYLVANIA.  373 

Grossed  the  Rappahannock  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day  and 
bivouacked  at  dark  upon  the  banks  of  Mountain  Creek.  On 
the  6th,  the  division  marched  to  the  Eapidan  and  crossed  at 
Germania  Ford,  relieving  the  troops  that  were  at  that  time 
guarding  the  crossing.  General  Grant  in  his  report  of  the  ope- 
rations of  the  campaign,  with  characteristic  justice  declares 
that,  "  considering  that  a  large  proportion,  probably  two-thirds 
of  General  Burnside's  command,  was  composed  of  new  troops, 
unaccustomed  to  marches  and  carrying  the  accoutrements  of  a 
soldier,  this  was  a  remarkable  march."* 

The  arrival  of  General  Burnside's  corps  was  most  opportune. 
The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  been  considerably  shaken  and 
its  lines  were  disordered.  Both  contending  armies  indeed  had 
suffered  severely.  Yet  the  spirit  of  the  combatants  was  una- 
bated, and  on  the  6th  the  battle  raged  once  more  with  almost 
equal  fury.  General  Longstreet  put  his  corps  into  the  action 
against  General  Burnside's  command.  The  Ninth  again  vindi- 
cated its  superiority,  and  the  attack  of  the  enemy  was  broken. 
In  this  engagement,  the  first  division  under  General  Stevenson 
fought  with  General  Hancock's  corps  and  did  admirable  ser- 
vice in  connection  with  that  gallant  body  of  men.  The  second 
and  third  divisions  were  moved  out  upon  the  "  Parker's  store 
road,"  between  the  positions  held  by  the  second  and  fifth  corps. 
General  Potter,  with  General  Willcox  in  support,  attempted 
to  seize  Parker's  on  the  plank  road.  Colonel  Griffin's  brigade 
in  advance  gained  considerable  ground,  and  was  steadily  push- 
ing the  enemy  back,  when  an  order  arrived  from  General  Grant 
to  move  all  the  available  forces  to  the  left,  with  the  view  of 
attacking  the  enemy  in  that  quarter,  in  order  to  relieve  General 
Hancock  who  was  then  hard  pressed.  General  Potter's  divi- 
sion was  accordingly  sent  to  the  point  of  attack,  and  slowly  but 
surely  made  its  way  through  the  dense  undergrowth  to  the 
assigned  position.  General  Willcox  held  the  ground  already 
occupied.     General  Potter,  upon  coming  in  contact  with  the 

*Report  of  Lieutenant  General  Grant,  p.  6. 


374  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Mat, 

enemy,  charged  and  carried  a  portion  of  the  opposing  lines. 
Three  times  did  the  brave  men  of  the  second  division  advance 
upon  the  enemy's  intrenchments,  and  though  they  gained  con- 
siderable advantage,  they  were  not  able  to  carry  the  position. 

General  Willcox,  after  holding  the  Parker's  Store  road 
for  some  time,  was  filially  enabled,  about  two  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  to  withdraw  his  division  and  to  go  to  General  Pot- 
ter's assistance.  Colonel  Hartranft's  brigade  had  already 
moved  forward  to  General  Potter's  right,  and,  with  its  usual 
gallantry,  had  attacked  the  enemy  and  punished  him  se- 
verely. But  Colonel  Hartranft,  having  once  broken  through 
the  enemy's  lines,  found  himself  confronted  by  so  strong  a  force 
as  to  make  further  progress  impracticable.  He  did  however 
succeed  in  maintaining  his  position,  close  by  the  enemy's  in- 
trenchments, where  he  was  bravely  supported  by  the  brigade 
of  Colonel  Christ.  An  attack  by  the  two  divisions,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  second  corps,  was  contemplated  at  six  o'clock. 
The  enemy,  ascertaining  the  arrangement,  opened  fire  upon  our 
troops,  necessitating  an  earlier  assault.  The  troops  advanced 
about  half-past  five  o'clock,  made  a  singularly  gallant  charge 
upon  the  enemy,  drove  him  into  his  works  and  even  broke  a 
portion  of  his  line.  But  the  obstinate  resistance  which  he  made 
and  the  strong  position  which  he  held,  prevented  a  complete 
success.  The  two  divisions  held  their  ground  in  front  of  the 
enemy,  and,  when  the  sun  set  upon  the  second  day's  engage- 
ment and  the  two  armies  rested  on  their  respective  lines,  the 
advantage  was  clearly  with  our  men.  General  Lee  did  not 
venture  upon  a  third  day  of  fighting.  After  a  demonstration 
upon  our  right,  which  created  some  confusion  in  the  sixth  corps, 
and  at  one  time  threatened  very  serious  consequences,  the 
enemy  withdrew  from  our  immediate  front,  into  his  fortified 
lines  of  defence. 

The  fourth  division,  with  the  cavalry,  arrived  at  Germania 
ford  at  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  and  at  first 
expected  to  enter  into  the  conflict.  General  Ferrero  was  ord- 
ered to  report  to  General  Sedgwick  and  was  by  him  directed  at 


1864.1  WILDERNESS    AND    SPOTTSYLVANIA.  375 

first  to  press  the  enemy.  But  on  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Mar- 
shall's provisional  brigade,  composed  of  some  heavy  artillery 
regiments,  that  had  been  garrisoning  the  defences  of  Washing- 
ton and  were  now  assigned  to  the  Ninth  Corps,  General  Fer- 
rero's  division  was  ordered  to  guard  the  bridges,  roads  and 
trains  then  near  the  Rapidan.  The  white  troops  were  at  once 
put  into  the  conflict.  A  speck  of  danger  appeared  in  the  even- 
ing, when  the  enemy  attacked  General  Sedgwick,  but  it  soon 
vanished,  and  through  the  night,  the  fourth  division  moved  up 
the  trains  nearer  to  the  rear  of  the  army.  General  Ferrero  and 
his  men  would  have  been  glad  of  more  active  and  prominent 
service.  But  General  Grant  felt  disposed  to  employ  his  white 
soldiers  in  the  more  dangerous  duties  of  the  campaign,  and  the 
men  of  the  colored  division  had  no  opportunity  of  displaying 
their  courage  until  a  later  day. 

The  losses  of  the  Corps  in  the  desperate  fighting  of  the  6th 
were  somewhat  severe.  The  two  divisions  lost  nine  hundred  and 
eighty-five  killed,  wounded  and  missing,  among  whom  were 
several  officers  of  promise.  Colonel  Frank  Graves,  of  the  8th 
Michigan  infantry,  belonging  to  General  Willcox's  division, 
was  mortally  wounded  while  leading  his  regiment  bravely  in 
the  battle,  and  unfortunately  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
He  was  a  gallant  officer,  and  had  done  good  service  in  former 
campaigns.  Colonel  Charles  E.  Griswold,  of  the  56th  Massa- 
chusetts regiment,  was  killed  early  in  the  action.  He  was  shot 
and  fell  dead  without  a  groan.  Hs  was  one  of  the  most  accom- 
plished of  the  numerous  young  officers  of  merit  that  the  State 
of  Massachusetts  has  contributed  to  the  war.  His  regiment 
was  a  model  of  neatness,  regularity  and  good  discipline.  He 
was  an  excellent  specimen  of  the  patriotic  New  England  citizen 
soldier  ; — brave,  intelligent  and  skilful,  always  faithful  to  his 
duty,  and  ready  to  meet  every  danger  and  death  itself  with  a 
calm  and  courageous  soul.  Of  the  enemy's  forces  immediately 
engaged  with  the  Ninth  Corps,  General  Longstreet  was  quite 
severely  wounded. 

On  the  7  th,  General  Grant  discovered  that  the  enemy  was 


376  LAST   TEAR    OF   THE    REBELLION.  [Mat, 

not  disposed  to  renew  the  battle  except  from  behind  his  works. 
He  determined  to  turn  the  position  by  marching  by  General 
Lee's  right  flank.  On  the  night  of  the  7th,  the  movement  to- 
wards  Spottsylvania  Court  House  commenced.  General  War- 
ren, with  the  fifth  corps,  had  the  advance.  General  Burnside, 
with  the  Ninth  Corps,  brought  up  the  rear.  The  first  division 
immediately  followed  the  fifth  corps.  The  other  divisions,  with 
Colonel  Marshall's  provisional  brigade,  followed  the  sixth 
corps  towards  Chancellorsville,  not  gaining  the  road  until  day- 
break of  the  8th,  on  account  of  its  occupancy  by  the  sixth 
corps  and  its  trains.  The  Corps  moved  through  Chancellors- 
ville and  went  into  bivouac  on  the  road  beyond.  The  artillery 
reserve  belonging  to  the  Corps  was  ordered  to  join  the  artillery 
reserve  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with  which  it  remained 
until  the  16th.  The  fourth  division  and  cavalry  covered  the 
trains.  Some  skirmishing  ensued  during  the  march,  whenever 
the  enemy  approached  too  near  our  columns,  and  always  to  his 
disadvantage. 

The  9th  passed  with  a  more  exciting  train  of  events  than  the 
two  preceding  days.  A  very  gallant  affair  was  conducted  by 
General  Willcox  with  his  division.  He  had  been  directed  to 
move  his  command  to  the  crossing  of  the  Ny  river  on  the  Fred- 
ericksburg and  Spottsylvania  road.  General  Willcox  was 
early  on  the  march,  and  about  a  mile  from  the  river  his  ad- 
vance came  in  contact  with  the  enemy's  pickets.  He  quickly 
drove  them  to  and  across  the  river,  and  seized  the  bridge. 
Colonel  Christ's  brigade,  with  Eoemer's  and  Twitchell's  bat- 
teries of  artillery,  was  immediately  thrown  across  and  posted 
on  a  little  eminence  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond.  Colonel 
Christ  was  attacked  while  here  by  a  considerable  force  of  dis- 
mounted cavalry  and  a  brigade  of  General  Longstreet's  corps. 
Colonel  Hartranft  sent  over  two  regiments  of  his  brigade  to 
reenforce  Colonel  Christ.  The  enemy  made  repeated  assaults 
upon  our  position,  but  was  effectually  repulsed  at  all  points. 
Finding  fruitless  further  attempts  to  dispute  our  progress,  he 
finally  retired,  leaving  about  fifty  prisoners  and  several  of  his 


1804.]  WILDERNESS    AND    SPOTTSYLVANIA.  377 

wounded  in  our  hands.  About  noon,  the  first  division  came 
up,  and  the  point  was  secured  against  any  danger  of  loss.  The 
third  division — and  especially  Colonel  Christ's  brigade — won 
this  position  in  a  very  creditable  manner,  but  at  a  cost  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  The 
second  division  was  brought  up  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon, 
but  too  late  to  take  any  part  in  the  brisk  .engagement  which 
Colonel  Christ  had  so  finely  carried  through.  The  fourth  di- 
vision was  occupied  in  guarding  the  rear  of  the  entire  army. 
In  the  course  of  the  day,  the  2d  Ohio  cavalry  was  attacked, 
near  Piney  Branch  Church,  by  a  brigade  of  the  enemy's  cavalry, 
with  two  pieces  of  artillery  The  23d  regiment  United  States 
colored  troops  was  sent  to  the  assistance  of  the  cavalry,  and, 
with  conspicuous  courage,  attacked  and  forced  back  the  enemy. 
The  cavalry  pursued,  and  soon  relieved  the  trains  from  the 
presence  of  a  troublesome  foe.  Preparations  were  made  by 
General  Burnside  for  a  further  movement,  to  be  undertaken  on 
the  following  day. 

The  9th  had  passed  with  considerable  fighting  by  the  other 
portions  of  the  army.  The  enemy  had  divined  the  purpose  of 
General  Grant,  and  was  not  inclined  to  allow  him  to  carry  it 
out  without  opposition.  General  Lee,  having  the  shorter 
lines,  moved  his  army  from  the  field  of  battle  in  the  Wilderness 
to  the  defensive  points  around  Spottsylvania  Court  House, 
and  immediately  crowned  them  with  fortifications.  General 
Grant  found  his  progress  once  more  stopped,  and  after  one  or 
two  attempts  to  force  the  position,  halted  his  army  and  prepared 
for  another  bloody  battle. 

The  fighting  of  the  8th  and  9th,  though  not  of  so  important 
character  as  on  the  preceding  days  in  the  Wilderness,  was  yet 
sufficiently  serious  to  result  in  considerable  loss.  On  the  8th, 
General  Warren  had  a  brisk  engagement,  in  which  were  mani- 
fested the  steadiness  and  courage  of  the  fifth  corps  and  its  com- 
mander. On  the  9th,  the  sixth  corps  met  with  an  incalculable 
loss  in  the  fall  of  its  commander,  the  brave  General  Sedgwick. 
After  the  Ninth  Corps  had  passed  from  his  command  to  that 
48 


378  LAST    YEAE   OF  THE   REBELLION.  [May, 

of  General  Smith,  General  Sedgwick  had  been  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  sixth  corps.  In  all  the  operations  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  subsequent  to  that  time,  he  performed  a 
distinguished  part.  When  General  Hooker  moved  upon 
Chancellorsville,  it  was  General  Sedgwick's  duty  to  storm  the 
heights  of  Fredericksburg,  in  order  to  create  a  diversion  in  fa- 
vor  of  his  chief.  The  work  was  most  gallantly  done,  and  the 
enemy's  positions  on  Marye's  hill  and  beyond  were  carried  by  a 
vigorous  charge.  General  Hooker's  failure  let  loose  the  greater 
portion  of  General  Lee's  army  upon  the  sixth  corps.  But  Gen- 
eral Sedgwick  was  successful  in  extricating  his  command  from 
its  perilous  position,  though  with  severe  loss,  and  crossed  to 
the  north  bank  of  the  Rappahannock  above  Falmouth. 

In  all  the  movements  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  General 
Sedgwick's  corps  was  always  found  in  the  right  place.  So 
clear  was  his  merit,  that  he  was  offered  the  command  of  the 
army  itself.  But  with  characteristic  modesty,  he  declined  the 
proffered  honor.  He  preferred  the  more  humble  position  of  a 
corps  commander,  and  in  that  capacity  was  remarkably  faith- 
ful and  trustworthy.  By  his  presence  of  mind  and  coolness  he 
saved  the  right  wing  of  the  army  in  the  enemy's  night  attack 
of  the  6th,  and  contributed  very  materially  to  the  successes 
which  were  afterwards  gained.  He  was  killed  while  stand- 
ing near  an  embrasure  in  one  of  our  hastily  erected  earthworks. 
A  bullet  from  the  rifle  of  a  sharpshooter  of  the  enemy  pierced 
his  brain,  and  he  fell  dead.  He  was,  without  question,  one  of 
the  bravest  men  and  one  of  the  finest  soldiers  to  be  found  in  all 
our  armies.  Modest,  manly,  skilful  and  courageous,  without 
boastfulness,  pretension  or  show  of  any  sort,  he  has  written 
for  himself  a  bright  and  honorable  name  upon  the  records  of 
his  country,  and  impressed  an  ineffaceable  image  of  his  genuine 
manhood  upon  the  hearts  of  all  who  love  virtue,  fidelity  and 
heroism. 

On  the  10th,  the  fighting  was  of  a  very  sanguinary  character, 
but  still  without  decisive  results.  "  The  enemy  was  obstinate," 
as  General  Grant  found  occasion  to  say,  and  was  resolute  in 


1864.]  WILDERNESS    AND    SPOTTSYLVANIA.  379 

disputing  every  inch  of  his  ground.  His  lines  extended  around 
Spottsylvania  Court  House,  between  the  Po  and  Ny  rivers  in 
a  position  well  supported  by  breastworks  and  protected  by 
forest  and  marshy  land.  Our  own  lines  were  well  brought  up, 
the  Ninth  Corps  holding  the  extreme  left,  General  Willcox's 
division  resting  on  the  Ny,  at  the  point  which  Colonel  Christ 
had  won.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  a  determined  attack 
was  made  by  the  corps,  in  conjunction  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  It  resulted  in  placing  our  lines  in  immediate  prox- 
imity with  those  of  the  enemy.  General  Potter's  division  at- 
tained a  point  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Court  House. 
The  advance  was  made  in  a  very  creditable  manner,  in  the 
face  of  a  heavy  and  destructive  fire.  After  holding  the  position 
for  a  short  time,  General  Potter  was  ordered  to  retire  for 
nearly  a  mile,  to  a  point  selected  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Corn- 
stock,  under  the  direction  of  General  Grant.  The  withdrawal 
was  made  against  the  remonstrance  of  General  Burnside,  and 
the  mistake  was  afterwards  seen — unfortunately  not  till  it  was 
too  late  to  rectify  it  except  by  hard  fighting. 

But  the  Ninth  Corps  suffered  a  severe  loss  in  the  death  of 
General  Stevenson,  the  commander  of  the  first  division.  He 
was  killed  early  in  the  day  by  one  of  the  enemy's  riflemen, 
while  near  his  headquarters.  Born  in  Boston,  on  the  3d  of 
February,  1836,  Thomas  Greely  Stevenson  was  especially  for- 
tunate in  his  family,  his  education  and  his  social  position.  He 
was  the  son  of  Hon.  J.  Thomas  Stevenson,  well  known  as  an 
able  lawyer  and  a  sagacious  man  of  affairs.  He  was  educated 
in  the  best  schools  in  Boston,  and  at  an  early  age  he  entered 
the  counting  room  of  one  of  the  most  active  merchants  of  that 
city.  There,  by  his  faithfulness  in  duty,  his  promptness  and 
his  generosity  of  disposition,  he  secured  the  entire  confidence 
and  love  of  his  principal  and  the  high  esteem  of  'the  business 
community,  and  a  brilliant  commercial  career  opened  before 
him.  But  when  his  country  called  him,  he  could  not  neglect 
her  summons.  The  par.ting  words  of  his  father  to  himself  and 
his  younger  brother,  when  they  left  home  for  the  field,  well 


380  LAST   YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [May, 

express  the  appreciation  in  which  his  domestic  virtues  were 
held  :  "  Be  as  good  soldiers  as  you  have  been  sons.  Your 
country  can  ask  no  more  than  that  of  you,  and  God  will  bless 
you." 

In  the  spring  of  1861,  he  was  orderly  sergeant  of  the  New 
England  Guards,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  fourth 
battalion  of  Massachusetts  infantry  he  was  chosen  Captain  of 
one  of  its  companies.  On  the  25th  of  April,  the  battalion  was 
sent  to  garrison  Fort  Independence  in  Boston  harbor,  and  on 
the  4th  of  May,  Captain  Stevenson  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Major.  In  this  position  he  was  distinguished  for  an  excel- 
lent faculty  for  discipline  and  organization  which  was  subse- 
quently of  great  benefit  to  him.  On  the  1st  of  August  he  re- 
ceived authority  to  raise  and  organize  a  regiment  of  Infantry 
for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  on  the  7th  of  September,  he  went 
into  camp  at  Eeadville  with  twenty  men.  On  the  9th  of  De- 
cember, he  left  the  State  of  Massachusetts  with  the  24th  regi- 
ment— one  of  the  finest  and  best  drilled,  organized,  equipped, 
and  disciplined  body  of  troops  that  Massachusetts  had  yet  sent 
to  the  war.  His  regiment  was  assigned  to  General  Foster's 
brigade  in  the  North  Carolina  expedition,  and  he  soon  gained 
the  respect  and  friendship  of  his  superior  officers. 

The  conduct  of  the  24th  regiment  and  its  commander  in 
North  Carolina  has  already  been  made  a  matter  of  record. 
When  Colonel  Stevenson  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  a 
brigade  in  April,  1862,  the  choice  was  unanimously  approved 
by  his  companions  in  arms.  General  Burnside  regarded  him 
as  one  of  his  best  officers.  "  He  has  shown  great  courage  and 
skill  in  action,"  once  wrote  the  General,  "  and  in  organization 
and  discipline  he  has  no  superior."  General  Foster  was  en- 
thusiastic in  his  commendation.  "  He  stands  as  high  as  any 
officer  or  soldier  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,"  said  he, 
"  on  -the  list  of  noble,  loyal,  and  devoted  men."  On  the  27th 
of  December  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier  Gene- 
ral, and  on  the  14th  of  March,  1863,  he  was  confirmed  and 
commissioned  to  that  grade.     In   February,    1863,  he  accom- 


1864.]  WILDERNESS    AND    SPOTTSYLVANIA.  381 

panied  General  Foster  to  South  Carolina,  where  his  brigade 
was  attached  to  the  tenth  corps,  and  where  he  served  with 
great  fidelity  and  zeal  throughout  the  year  under  Generals 
Foster,  Hunter  and  Gillmore.  In  April,  1864,  he  reported  to 
General  Burnside  at  Annapolis  and  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  first  division. 

General  Stevenson  was  peculiarly  known  .and  respected  in 
the  army  for  his  bravery  and  coolness  in  action,  his  skill  in 
organization,  and  for  his  faithful  care  of  the  troops  under  his 
command.  He  exercised  a  personal  supervision  over  the  exe- 
cution of  his  orders,  and  was  not  content  till  he  had  fully 
ascertained  that  every  thing  had  been  done  as  it  should  be. 
The  report  of  the  44th  Massachusetts  regiment,  which  was  in 
his  brigade  in  North  Carolina,  bears  especial  testimony  to  this 
trait  in  his  character. 

The  language  of  a  friend,  who  furnished  the  material  for  the 
above  sketch  of  General  Stevenson's  career,  will  hardly  be 
considered  too  strong  or  too  partial  an  estimate  of  his  character. 
Certain  it  is,  that  his  loss  was  felt  by  all  his  brother  officers 
with  profound  sorrow.  A  personal  friend,  a  meritorious  sol- 
dier, a  trustworthy  and  noble  man  had  been  taken  from  the 
midst  of  them,  and  they  will  agree  to  the  summary  which  a 
not  too  indulgent  pen  has  traced.  "  In  his  military  career  he 
was  honored  far  beyond  his  years,  but  not  beyond  his  acknow- 
ledged deserts.  Many,  who  were  older  and  of  larger  experi- 
ence than  himself  sought  his  counsel  and  his  aid.  He  was 
peculiarly  fit  for  a  leader.  Quick  in  the  perception  of  danger, 
cautious  in  preparing  for  it,  he  was  as  bold  as  the  boldest  in 
confronting  it.  He  shrank  instinctively  from  all  unnecessary 
display.  Modest  almost  to  bashfulness  he  was  nevertheless 
very  determined  in  the  support  of  opinions  which  he  had  deli- 
berately formed.  He  felt  the  weight  of  the  large  responsibili- 
ties which  constantly  devolved  upon  him,  but  he  never  shrank 
from  them.  Conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  each  duty,  he 
made  for  himself  a  record  of  honor  in  the  military  annals  of  his 
country.     True    manliness    was    his    marked    characteristic. 


382  LAST    YEAR    OF   THE   REBELLION.  [May, 

Generous,  truthful,  liberal  in  his  judgments  of  others,  forgetful 
of  self,  genial  in  his  disposition  and  frank  in  his  intercourse 
with  every  one,  he  made  many  friends.  The  easy  familiarity, 
for  which  he  was  noted,  never  detracted  from  the  respect  which 
the  true  dignity  of  his  character  inspired. 

"  Upon  the  arrival  of  his  remains  at  Boston  public  honors  to 
his  memory  were  promptly  tendered  by  the  authorities  both  of 
the  city  and  of  the  State;  but  his  .family,  acting  upon  what 
they  knew  would  have  been  his  own  wish,  decided  that  the 
last  tributes  should  not  be  attended  by  any  public  display." 

The  command  of  the  first  division  devolved  upon  Colonel 
Leasure  of  the  100th  Pennsylvania,  until  the  arrival  of  Major 
General  Thomas  L.  Crittenden,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the 
position.  This  officer  had  previously  been  on  terms  of  intimate 
intercourse  with  General  Burnside,  had  served  with  General 
Eosecrans  in  East  Tennessee,  and  his  arrival  in  camp  on  the 
11th  was  a  source  of  much  gratification.  But  little  was  done 
by  either  army  on  this  day  except  some  very  lively  skirmish- 
ing. The  weary  soldiers  enjoyed  a  brief  period  of  repose, 
to  which  a  refreshing  shower  of  rain  gave  additional  zest.  It 
had  been  a  week  of  toil  and  blood.  The  ground  had  been  well 
fought  over,  and  as  General  Grant  changed  his  base  of  opera- 
tions, from  the  Kapidan  to  Fredericksburg,  the  roads  in  the 
rear  of  the  army,  to  the  Rappahannock  and  the  Potomac  at 
Belle  Plain,  presented  a  sorry  spectacle.  Fredericksburg  was 
filled  with  wounded  soldiers.  Even  the  forest  recesses  of  the 
Wilderness  hid  many  a  poor  fellow,  who  had  crept  away  to 
die.  Many  of  the  severely  wounded  were  still  lying  upon  the 
field  under  the  rude  shelter  of  hastily  constructed  booths  of 
boughs  and  canvas.  The  medical  department  worked  with  all 
diligence  and  the  efforts  of  the  delegates  of  the  Sanitary  and 
Christian  Commissions  were  beyond  praise.  A  large  army 
leaves  in  its  track  desolation  and  misery.  Such  battles  as  had 
been  fought  since  the  opening  of  the  campaign  seemed  to 
drench  the  soil  with  blood  and  fill  the  air  with  groans  of  pain. 
Scenes  of  most  piteous  interest  were  exhibited  on  every  hand. 


1864.]  "WILDERNESS    AND    SPOTTSYLVANIA.  383 

On  many  hearts  and  homes  the  shadows  of  darkest  bereave- 
ment had  fallen,  and  the  bright  spring  time  sun  was  clouded 
with  grief.     Patriotism  and  duty  required  a  heroic  sacrifice. 

The  battles  of  the  week  culminated  on  the  12th,  when  the 
fighting  was  resumed  with  redoubled  energy.  General  Han- 
cock's corps,  in  the  early  dawn,  made  a  particularly  gallant 
attack  upon  a  salient  of  the  enemy's  works,  striking  them  upon 
his  right  centre,  and  completely  surprised  the  foe  in  that  quar- 
ter, capturing  and  sending  to  the  rear  General  Johnson's  divi- 
sion almost  entire,  with  its  commanding  general.  Twenty 
pieces  of  artillery  also  fell  into  our  hands.  Our  whole  line  was 
closed  up.  The  Ninth  Corps  dashed  into  the  fight  with  the 
utmost  enthusiasm  and  speedily  joined  General  Hancock's 
troops  in  their  daring  adventure.  For  an  hour  or  two  it  seemed 
as  though  our  men  would  carry  everything  before  them.  But 
at  nine  o'clock,  the  enemy  had  become  fully  alive  to  the  neces- 
sity of  resistance,  and  made  a  counter  attack  against  .our 
lines.  For  three  hours  longer  the  fight  continued  with  exhibi- 
tions  of  the  most  desperate  valor  and  with  terrible  carnage. 
The  rebel  columns  of  attack  dashed  in  vain  against  our  lines,  ad- 
vancing with  unflinching  resolution,  and  retiring  only  when 
broken  up  by  the  withering  and  destructive  fire  which  was 
brought  to  bear  against  them.  x\t  noon,  the  enemy  gave  up 
his  attempts  to  force  back  our  troops,  but  he  had  succeeded  in 
preventing  our  further  advance. 

General  Grant  was  not  yet  ready  to  stop  the  conflict.  He 
determined,  if  possible,  to  turn  and  double  up  the  enemy's  right 
flank.  It  was  a  desperate  enterprise.  The  enemy's  right  was 
resting  on  marshy  and  difficult  ground.  But  after  a  temporary 
lull,  to  afford  a  little  rest  to  the  tired  troops,  the  battle  was  re- 
newed in  the  early  afternoon.  Our  troops  were  massed  upon 
our  left,  the  Ninth  Corps  occupying  a  conspicuous  position. 
Rain  had  commenced  falling  in  the  morning,  and  the  field  of 
battle  became  a  mass  of  gory  mud.  Still  the  struggle  was 
once  more  entered  upon  with  unflagging  courage.  Again  and 
again  did  our  troops  press  forward  to  be  met  with  a  most  stub- 


384  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Mat, 

born  resistance.  The  rebels  fought  with  remarkable  obsti- 
nacy, and  our  men  were  not  inferior  in  pertinacity  to  the  de- 
termined foe.  Step  by  step  the  ground  was  disputed  with  reso- 
lute courage.  The  fight  was  deadly.  The  slain  and  disabled 
covered  the  ground.  The  frightful  carnage  was  only  closed  by 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  so  desperate  was  rebel  hate,  so  per- 
sistent was  patriot  valor. 

During  the  entire  day,  the  Ninth  Corps  was  effectively  en- 
gaged, and  lost  heavily.  At  the  outset,  it  had  promptly  moved 
up  to  General  Hancock's  support,  and  through  the  forenoon 
had  been  most  active  in  the  fight.  The  Corps  had  been  posted 
across  the  Fredericksburg  turnpike,  upon  the  extreme  left  of 
the  army,  with  dense  thickets  in  front.  The  opposing  corps  of 
the  enemy,  protected  by  rifle  pits  and  timber  breastworks,  was 
under  the  command  of  General  A.  P.  Hill.  In  this  movement, 
Colonel  Griffin's  brigade  of  General  Potter's  division  had  the 
advance,  and  connecting  with  General  Hancock's  left,  shared 
in  the  glory  and  danger  of  the  attack.  The  brigade  succeeded 
in  carrying  a  portion  of  the  enemy's  works,  including  a  battery 
of  two  guns.  In  the  successful  result  of  that  attack,  General 
Hancock's  command  became  somewhat  disturbed,  and  was  in 
turn  the  object  of  assault.  Colonel  Griffin's  position  enabled 
him  at  this  moment  to  be  of  effectual  service,  the  enemy  was  hand- 
somely met  and  Hancock  was  saved.  So  prominent  had  been 
the  gallantry  of  the  brigade  commander  upon  this  and  former 
occasions,  that  General  Burnside  recommended  him  for  instant 
promotion.  The  remainder  of  General  Potter's  division  was 
equally  forward,  both  in  attack  and  defence.  The  fruits  of  the 
movement  were  the  capture  of  two  lines  of  detached  rifle  pits, 
a  number  of  prisoners,  and  a  part  of  the  enemy's  main  line. 
The  rupture  of  the  connection  with  the  second  corps  enabled 
the  enemy  to  check  our  progress,  but  he  could  not  retake  his 
lost  ground. 

General  Crittenden's  division  was  formed  on  .the  left  of  Gen- 
eral Potter,  and  courageously  sustained  its  part  of  the  conflict. 
By  some  means,  its  left  had  become  refused,  and  when  General 


1864.]  WILDERNESS    AND    SPOTTSYLVANIA.  385 

Willcox  brought  up  his  division  still  further  to  the  left,  the 
formation  of  the  line  was  somewhat  irregular.  But  the  men 
fought  exceedingly  well,  and  though  no  great  gain  was  made, 
no  serious  repulse  was  experienced.  General  Willcox's  division 
was  at  first  held  in  reserve,  but  soon  after  the  battle  opened, 
was  moved  up  en  echelon  to  the  immediate  front.  Colonel 
Humphrey's  brigade  on  the  left  immediately  came  in  contact 
with  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  and  quickly  drove  them  in. 
Colonel  Hartranft's  brigade  upon  the  right  quickly  made  connec- 
tion with  the  first  division,  and  actively  entered  into  the 
engagement.  Captain  Twitchell's  battery  was  posted  on  the 
right  front,  and  Captain  Roemer's  in  rear  of  Colonel  Humphrey, 
to  protect  the  left  flank.  The  provisional  brigade  and  the 
dismounted  cavalry  held  the  trenches  in  front  of  the  Court 
House. 

In  this  position  and  with  this  formation,  after  the  temporary 
lull  at  noon,  the  Corps  renewed  the  battle.  Repeated  charges 
were  made  upon  the  opposing  lines,  but  without  forcing  them. 
General  Burnside  succeeded,  however,  in  carrying  his  own  lines 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  enemy,  and  could  not  be  dislodged. 
Counter  charges  were  made,  particular^  upon  the  left  of  the 
Corps,  where  the  enemy  massed  heavy  columns  of  attack. 
General  Willcox  had  anticipated  such  a  movement,  and  notified 
General  Burnside  of  the  probability  of  its  occurrence.  Lieu- 
tenant Benjamin,  chief  of  artillery,  was  accordingly  directed  to 
prepare  for  such  emergency.  Two  additional  batteries  were 
brought  up,  posted  and  made  ready  for  the  expected  assault. 
The  attack  came.  It  was  vigorously  delivered  and  stubbornly 
disputed.  Roemer's  battery  did  great  execution.  Wright's 
battery  lost  all  its  cannoniers,  and  was  in  danger  of  being  cap- 
tured, when  the  men  of  the  2d  Michigan  manned  the  guns  and 
splendidly  retrieved  the  fortunes  of  the  hour.  Our  infantry 
regiments  changed  front,  and  bearing  down  upon  the  foe,  scat- 
tered Colonel  Barber's  brigade  of  the  enemy's  column  and  cap- 
tured its  commanding  officer,  with  nearly  a  hundred  of  his 
men.     Further  to  the  right,  the  division  suffered  severely,  and 

49 


386  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Mat, 

for  some  time  considerable  confusion  prevailed  in  this  part  of 
the  field.     The  efforts  of  the  officers  were  successful  in  restoring 

O 

order,  and  the  enemy's  attempt  was  effectually  checked.  The 
Corps  had  advanced  about  a  mile,  had  successfully  charged  the 
enemy's  first  line,  had  repulsed  his  attack,  inflicting  heavy  loss 
upon  him,  and  ended  the  day  with  entrenching  immediately  in 
front  of  his  works.  The  losses  had  been  very  severe — over  a 
thousand  killed,  wounded  and  missing  in  the  third  division 
alone.  Again  the  day  closed  upon  a  bloody  field,  and  the  ene- 
my was  still  unsubdued.* 

Among  our  dead  was  Captain  James  Farrand,  commanding 
the  2d  Michigan  infantry,  a  very  brave  and  promising  officer, 
whose  name  is  mentioned  in  reports  of  the  battle  in  terms  of 
high  and  well  merited  praise.  He  was  killed  while  servino- 
the  guns  of  "Wright's  battery,  which  the  men  of  his  regiment 
had  saved  from  capture.  The  36th  Massachusetts  lost  a  good 
and  faithful  officer  in  Captain  S.  Henry  Bailey,  of  Company  G. 
He  was  killed  early  in  the  morning,  while  gallantly  cheering 
on  his  men.  He  was  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  was  born  at 
Northborough,  Mass.,  and  was  a  man  of  great  probity  of  char- 
acter. Sickness  had  struck  him  down  at  Harper's  Ferry  and 
again  at  Vicksburg.  But  he  continued  in  the  army  in  the 
faithful  discharge  of  duty  till  the  last.  He  served  at  one  time 
in  East  Tennessee  on  the  staff  of  General  Ferrero,  and  won,  in 
all  positions,  the  confidence  of  his  superior  officers.  He  has 
left  the  pleasant  memory  of  a  true  manhood  to  his  friends,  and 
the  record  of  an  honorable  service  to  his  country. 

*  Colonel  Hartranft,  as  well  as  Colonel  Griffin,  earned  his  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  Brigadier  General,  in  this  well  contested  battle. 


1834.]  TO    THE   JAMES    RIVER.  387 


CHAPTER   III 

TO     THE     JAMES     RIVER 

THE  battles  around  Spottsylvania  Court  House  had  been 
very  fierce  and  sanguinary-  Great  losses  had  been  suf- 
fered on  both  sides.  The  enemy  had  been  considerably  crip- 
pled, and  was  evidently  reluctant  to  come  out  into  the  open 
field  and  fight  in  a  fairly  contested  engagement.  Acting 
henceforward  on  the  defensive,  he  saved  himself  from  suffering 
as  much  injury  as  he  inflicted.  Keeping  close  behind  his  in- 
trenched lines,  he  had  every  advantage  which  the  natural 
strength  of  his  positions,  increased  by  his  labor,  could  afford. 
The  army  of  General  Grant  was  thus  compelled  to  assault 
every  fortified  point,  and,  whether  the  point  was  carried  or 
not,  to  suffer  enormous  losses.  Scarcely  less  than  thirty  thou- 
sand men  must  have  been  killed,  wounded  and  captured  during 
the  eight  days  of  fighting.  The  number  of  stragglers  and 
skulkers,  who  always  take  advantage  of  such  opportunities, 
must  have  been  nearly  if  not  quite  five  thousand,  thus  reducing 
the  effective  strength  of  the  army  by  a  very  considerable  de- 
gree. The  Ninth  Corps  had  suffered  its  proportionate  loss. 
No  less  than  five  thousand  five  hundred  men  had  been  disabled 
in  the  battles  of  the  6th  and  12th  and  the  skirmishings  that 
had  intervened.  Of  the  staff,  Lieutenant  Benjamin  had  been 
severely  wounded  in  the  neck,  but  with  characteristic  bravery 
remained  on  the  field  until  the  critical  moment  had  passed, 
directing  his  batteries. 

General  Grant  was  by  no  means  discouraged  by  the  losses 
to  which  he  had  been  subjected,  and  the  unexpected  obstinacy 
of  the  enemy  in  clinging  to  his  intrenched  positions.     The  de- 


388  LAST    YEAR    OF   THE   REBELLION.  [May, 

pleted  ranks  were  filled  up  by  reinforcements,  drawn  from  the 
defences  of  Washington  and  elsewhere.     The  position  at  Spott- 
sylvania  was  too  strong  to  be  forced.     But  Spottsylvania  was 
not  the  objective  point  of  the  campaign.     The  Lieutenant  Gen- 
eral determined  upon  a  second  movement  by  the  left  flank,  with 
the  hope  of  drawing  General  Lee  into  an  engagement  away  from 
his   intrenchments.     Yet,  previous  to   this,  he  wished  to  make 
another  direct   assault.      For  a  week    after   the  12th,  every 
day  was  occupied  with  more  or  less  skirmishing  and  artillery 
firing  along  the  lines,  but  no  general  action   was  in  any  case 
contemplated  by  either  party,  until  the  18th,  .when  a  heavy 
attack  was  made  upon  the  enemy's  works.     General  Lee,  on  the 
13th,  contracted  his  lines   somewhat,  by  retiring  about  a  mile 
towards  the  Court  House,  but  still  held  tenaciously   to  the 
roads.     On  the   14th,  the  Ninth   Corps  was  moved  from  the 
extreme  left  to  the  left  centre,  the  fifth  corps  taking  its  place. 
On  the  16th,  the  first  and  second  divisions  made  a  strong  demon- 
stration, for  the  purpose  of  feeling  the  enemy  and  reconnoiter- 
ing  the  position,  but  beyond  inducing  the  development  of  a  large 
force,  the  movement   accomplished  no  important  result?    The 
action  of  the  18th  at  one  time  threatened  to  be  of  considerable 
magnitude.     At  least  one-half  of  the  army  was  in  the  action, 
and  some  advantage  was  gained  over  the  enemy  by  forcing  him 
back  a  little  from  his  most  advanced  positions  and  occupying 
points  which  commanded  portions  of  his  line. 

The  first  and  second  divisions  of  the  Ninth  Corps  were  en- 
gaged in  this  attack,  and,  handsomely  supported  by  the  batte- 
ries of  the  third  division,  succeeded  in  gaining  a  position  which 
rendered  a  part  of  the  enemy's  works  untenable.  Beyond  that, 
however,  nothing  of  value  could  be  attained.  The  troops 
moved  gallantly  forward  in  three  columns  of  attack,  but  on 
their  arrival  at  the  abattis  that  protected  the  enemy's  front, 
found  that  an  attempt  to  surmount  the  obstructions  and  charge 
the  works  would  be  hopeless.  The  other  corps  met  with  no 
better  success.     The  entire  demonstration  proved  that  no  ad- 


1864.1  TO   THE   JAMES    RIVER.  389 

vantage  could  be  secured,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  fore- 
noon, the  assault  was  abandoned  and  the  troops  were  recalled. 

These  various  operations  confirmed  the  opinion  of  General 
Grant  as  to  the  necessity  of  moving  to  the  North  Anna,  if  he 
hoped  to  make  any  progress  towards  the  completion  of  the 
campaign.  Orders  were  accordingly  issued  to  that  effect,  and 
on  the  21st,  the  movement  commenced.  The  fifth  and  second 
corps  took  the  advance,  and  after  they  had  sufficiently  uncov- 
ered the  roads,  the  Ninth  moved  down  towards  the  Po  river, 
followed  closely  by  the  sixth.  General  Grant  had  intended  to 
move  General  Hancock's  corps  on  the  night  of  the  19th,  send- 
ing him  with  as  much  cavalry  as  could  be  spared  as  far  towards 
Richmond,  on  the  line  of  the  Fredericksburg  railroad,  as  could  be 
attained,  "  fighting  the  enemy  in  whatever  force  he  might  find 
them."  While  General  Hancock  was  thus  moving,  the  other 
three  corps  were  to  keep  close  up  to  the  enemy's  works  and 
attack,  if  Hancock  were  followed.  It  was  a  bold  plan,  and 
would  have  forced  the  enemy  into  the  open  field  if  it  had  been 
successful.  But  General  Lee  himself  interfered  with  the  move- 
ment by  sending  General  E well's  corps,  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
19th,  to  attack  our  extreme  right  flank.  The  enemy  marched 
around  to  our  rear,  hoping  to  disarrange  and  break  our  lines. 
The  point  that  was  assailed  was  guarded  by  a  division  of  heavy 
artillery,  then  for  the  first  time  under  fire.  These  troops  met 
the  enemy  and  repulsed  him  in  a  very  brilliant  manner.  As 
he  attempted  to  recross  the  Ny,  on  his  withdrawal,  he  was  set 
upon  and  thrown  into  confusion,  with  a  loss  of  four  hundred 
prisoners  and  many  killed  and  wounded.  This  movement  was 
sufficient  to  disturb  General  Grant's  plans  for  the  time,  and 
the  project  of  sending  General  Hancock  off  by  himself  was 
abandoned.  Not  a  single  corps,  but  the  entire  army  was  to 
move,  and  finally  got  upon  the  road  after  various  delays. 

The  directions -for  the  Ninth  Corps  were  to  march  down  the 
north  bank  of  the  Po  river  to  a  point  near  Stannard's  Mill,  and 
cross  there,  unless  opposed  by  the  enemy.  If  the  enemy  was 
in  force,  the  Corps  was  to  proceed  to  Guinney's  Bridge.     The 


390  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Mat, 

provisional  brigade  had  now  become  incorporated  with  the 
first  division  and  was  afterwards  known  and  designated  as  the 
third  brigade  of  that  division.  The  entire  Corps  was  promptly- 
put  in  motion  in  the  afternoon  of  the  21st.  Colonel  Curtin 
was  sent  in  advance  with  his  brigade  from  General  Potter's 
division  to  seize  and  occupy  the  crossing.  He  met  the  enemy's 
pickets  about  a  mile  from  Stannard's,  rapidfy  drove  them  over 
the  river,  and  prepared  to  cross.  General  Potter  hastened  for- 
ward with  the  remainder  of  his  division,  and  found  the  enemy 
in  considerable  force  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  He 
made  his  dispositions'  to  carry  the  position,  but  as  it  was  feared 
that  it  might  bring  on  more  of  an  engagement  than  was  then 
contemplated,  General  Potter  was  restrained,  and  Colonel  Cur- 
tin simply  held  the  hither  bank  until  the  remainder  of  the 
Corps  had  passed.  General  Willcox  had  been  detained  to  aid 
General  Wright,  who  had  been  attacked  just  before  sunset.  He 
now  came  up  soon  after  dark  and  the  Corps  marched  through 
the  night,  halting  at  sunx'ise  on  the  22d  near  General  Grant's 
Headquarters  in  the  neighborhood  of  Guinney's  Station.  A  rest 
of  two  hours  refreshed  the  troops,  and  they  were  moved  a  few 
miles  further  by  way  of  Downer's  Bridge  to  New  Bethel 
Church,  and  to  Thornbury,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  they 
remained  through  the  rest  of  the  day,  holding  the  crossing  of 
the  Ta  river  and  the  roads  beyond.  At  five  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  2od  the  inarch  was  resumed  for  Jericho  Bridge, 
in  order  to  cross  the  North  Anna.  General  Hancock  had 
already  made  Milford  Station,  and  was  directed  to  proceed  to 
the  North  Anna  and  effect  a  crossing  at  New  Bridge.  The 
Ninth  Corps  was  to  act  as  a  support  to  the  second.  The  cross- 
ing was  to  be  made  at  daylight  on  the  24th.  Should  General 
Hancock  be  able  to  force  his  passage  without  assistance,  Gene- 
ral Burnside  was  to  march  his  corps  to  Ox  ford  and  cross  the 
river  at  that  point  if  possible. 

It  is  hardly  within  the  province  of  this  narrative  to  discuss 
the  merits  of  General  Grant's  plan  for  the  movement  upon 
Kichmond.     His  intention  was  to  "  beat  General  Lee  if  possi- 


1864.]  TO    THE   JAMES    RIVER.  391 

ble  north  of  Richmond,"  making  the  rebel  army  his  objective 
point.  He  had  in  mind  the  possibility  of  crossing  the  James 
above  the  enemy's  capital,  and  thus  of  cutting  off  its  communi- 
cations with  the  South.  He  had  hoped  that  General  Butler 
would  occupy  the  south  bank  of  the  James  even  to  the  points 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Richmond.  Being  disap- 
pointed in  that  respect,  and  meeting  with  a  more  strenuous  op- 
position from  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia  than  he  had  reck- 
oned upon,  General  Grant's  object  now  seemed  to  be  to  place 
his  army  between  that  of  General  Lee  and  Richmond,  or,  fail- 
mo-  in  that,  to  transfer  it  to  the  south  of  the  James  and  unite 
with  General  Butler.  The  movement  upon  Ox  ford,  New 
Bridge  and  other  points  on  the  North  Anna  would  effect  the 
first  of  these  objects,  provided  General  Lee  did  not  anticipate  it. 
But  since  the  battle  of  the  12th,  the  utmost  vigilance  was  ex- 
ercised in  the  enemy's  camp  and  every  movement  of  our  forces 
was  observed  with  the  greatest  watchfulness.  General  Grant's 
army  was  scarcely  on  the  move  before  General  Lee  had  also 
started  with  his  command.  Having  the  main  roads  in  his  pos- 
session, the  enemy  could  move  with  greater  facility  over  equal 
distances.  The  march  of  our  columns  had  to  be  made  with 
great  caution,  and  every  available  plantation  road  and  pathway 
was  used  to  push  forward  the  troops.  The  enemy  was  too 
quick  for  our  army,  and  when  General  Grant  reached  the 
North  Anna,  he  found  that  the  passage  was  to  be  disputed. 

The  army  struck  the  North  Anna,  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
23d  at  three  points — the  fifth  and  sixth  corps  on  the  right, 
at  Jericho  bridge,  the  Ninth  near  Ox  ford,  and  the  second 
near  the  railroad  bridge.  General  Warren  crossed  the  river 
during  the  afternoon.  The  North  Anna  at  the  points  where 
the  army. reached  the  river  makes  a  decided  bend  to  the  south, 
and  then  immediately  to  the  north-east,  thus  nearly  forming 
two  sides  of  a  triangle.  The  enemy's  lines  of  intrenchments 
commenced  two  or  three  miles  in  the  rear,  and  at  their  point  of 
junction  near  Ox  ford,  formed  an  obtuse  angle.  The  position  of 
the  Ninth  Corps  on  the  north  bank  was  opposite  the  enemy's 


392  LAST    YEAR   OP   THE   REBELLION.  [Mat, 

salient.  A  crossing  at  Ox  ford  was  therefore  impracticable 
without  a  very  serious  loss.  The  corps  was  here  divided. 
General  Potter's  division  was  sent  to  the  assistance  of  General 
Hancock,  General  Crittenden's  to  the  aid  of  General  Warren, 
and  General  Willcox's  retained  in  the  rear  of  the  ford. 

General  Willcox  on  the  24th  succeeded  in  seizing  and  hold- 
ing a  small  island  in  the  river  near  the  ford.  General  Critten- 
den  on  the  same  day  threw  his  division  across  the  river  at 
Quarles's  ford.  The  troops  pressed  forwards,  forded  the 
stream  with  great  celerity,  marched  up  the  opposite  bank,  and 
at  once  engaged  the  enemy.  General  Ledlie's  brigade  had  the 
lead,  and  behaved  most  creditably,  advancing  beyond  the  river 
for  at  least  a  mile  and  a  half  with  brisk  fighting  and  forcing  the 
enemy  into  his  intrenchments.  The  troops  held  their  position 
close  to  the  enemy's  lines  for  some  time,  but  were  finally 
obliged  to  retire.  Two  divisions  of  General  Hill's  corps 
marched  out,  attacked  and  attempted  to  outflank  General  Led- 
lie.  The  brigade  withdrew  from  its  advanced  position  to  a 
point  nearer  the  river.  During  the  day  it  lost  one  of  its  finest 
officers,  Lieutenant  Colonel  C.  L.  Chandler  of  the  57th  Mas- 
sachusetts, who  fell  at  his  post  in  the  brave  performance  of 
duty.  In  these  movements  Major  J  St.  C.  Morton  of  the 
Engineer  corps,  on  General  Burnside's  staff,  distinguished  him- 
self by  leading  a  portion  of  the  brigade  in  a  gallant  attack  upon 
the  enemy's  lines. 

General  Potter's  division  crossed  the  river  on  the  24th,  at 
Chesterfield  bridge  and  in  conjunction  with  the  second  corps 
engaged  the  enemy.  The  right  of  the  division  rested  on  a 
bluff  near  the  river,  the  left  was  well  advanced  connecting  with 
General  Mott's  brigade  of  General  Birney's  division.  The  line 
was  held  and  well  intrenched.  On  the  25th  but  little  was 
done  at  this  extremity  of  our  lines,  but  on  the  26th  the  enemy 
was  disposed  to  be  troublesome.  In  the  afternoon  of  that  day 
a  sharp  affair  took  place  in  which  General  Potter's  division  won 
fresh  laurels.  It  drove  back  the  enemy's  entire  line  in  front, 
and  came  near  gaining  a  decisive  advantage.     As  it  was,  Gen- 


1864.]  TO   THE    JAMES    EIVER.  393 

era!  Potter  succeeded  in  advancing  his  line  for  some  distance, 
and  in  securing  a  highly  favorable  position  for  his  command. 
In  this  operation,  however,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  one 
of  the  best  officers  of  his  division,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Pearson, 
commanding  the.  6th  New  Hampshire.  This  excellent  soldier 
had  manifested  his  bravery  on  many  a  well  fought  field,  and 
was  considered  by  all  who  knew  him  as  one  of  the  most  promis- 
ing among;  the  volunteer  officers  in  the  armv.  General  Potter 
spoke  of  him  in  terms  of  high  commendation,  and  to  the  officers 
and  men  of  his  own  regiment  he  was  greatly  endeared.  He 
had  entered  the  service  in  the  early  days  of  the  war,  and  won 
his  way  through  the  several  grades  of  office,  by  faithful  service 
and  distinguished  gallantry.  His  manly  and -honorable  quali- 
ties of  character  attracted  the  respect  of  his  brother  officers, 
and  his  bright  and  genial  disposition  made  him  at  all  times  a 
welcome  and  agreeable  companion.  He  was  killed  while 
watching  from  an  exposed  situation  the  progress  of  the  move- 
ment on  the  28th,  and  his  death  caused,  throughout  the  bri- 
gade to  which  he  was  attached,  emotions  of  genuine  sorrow  and 
expressions  of  sympathy  and  regret. 

•  During  the  operations  of  this  campaign  General  Eurnside 
had  perceived  the  difficulty  of  moving  and  fighting  two  inde- 
pendent commands.  To  this  point  the  Ninth  Corps  had  been  a 
separate  organization  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  in 
reality  constituted  a  distinct  army.  It  is  easy  to  see  that 
some  embarrassment  might  ensue.  It  not  unfrequently  hap- 
pened that  the  Ninth  Corps  wa,s  called  upon  to  reenforce  the 
different  corps  of  the  ar.my  of  the  Potomac  in  positions  where 
they  were  hard  pressed.  A  division  was  sent  here,  another 
there,  reporting  to  the  different  corps  commanders,  and  General 
Burnside,  thus  called  upon,  willingly  denuded  himself  of  his 
command,  to  serve  his  brother  officers.  But  these  orders  could 
only  come  from  General  Grant,  and  valuable  time  might  be  lost 
in  their  transmission.  It  was  necessary  that  the  Ninth  Corps 
should  be  incorporated  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  But 
here  a  difficulty  at  once  became  apparent.     General  Burnside 


394  LAST   YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [May, 

was  superior  in  rank  to  General  Meade,  as  was  also  General 
Parke.  If  the  two  armies  were  consolidated,  General  Meade, 
according  to  military  usage,  could  not  well  hold  chief  command 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  But  General  Burnside  was  not 
willing  thus  to  affect  the  position  of  an  officer,  for  whose  feel- 
ings, as  a  skillful  commander,  he  had  a  considerate  regard. 
He  therefore,  with  General  Parke,  generously  waived  all  con- 
siderations of  rank,  and  at  his  suggestion,  an  order  was  accord- 
ingly issued  by  General  Grant  on  the  25th,  incorporating  the 
Ninth  Corps  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  By  this  action 
General  Burnside  voluntarily  placed  himself  under  the  com- 
mand of  his  inferior,  General  Meade,  as  two  years  previously 
he  had  done  in  the  case  of  General  Pope.  It  was  an  act  of 
generosity  of  not  common  occurrence  among  military  men,  and 
deserves  this  special  mention. 

The  operations  at  the  North  Anna  had  not  been. so  success- 
ful as  to  justify  General  Grant  in  hoping  for  the  defeat  of  the 
enemy  at  that  point.  General  Lee  was  not  more  disposed  than 
previously  to  come  out  and  deliver  or  receive  battle  at  any  dis- 
tance from  his  fortified  lines.  Within  his  defences  he  could 
rapidly  reenforce  any  threatened  point,  by  simply  moving  his 
troops  across  the  intervening  space  between  his  lines.  General 
Grant  had  the  disadvantage  of  being  compelled  to  reenforce  any 
point  in  his  lines,  by  crossing  his  troops  over  two  bridges,  and 
marching  over  a  distance  at  least  twice  that  of  his  opponent. 
Nothing  could  be  accomplished  under  such  circumstances,  and 
accordingly  General  Grant  again  determined  to  turn  the  ene- 
my's position.  It  was  a  question  whether  he  should  attempt 
the  right  or  the  left.  After  carefully  weighing  the  matter,  he' 
decided  to  continue  his  former  tactics,  and,  moving  by  the  left 
flank,  to  make  his  base  of  supplies  at  White  House,  cross  the 
Pamunkey  and  essay  a  nearer  approach  to  Richmond  across 
the  Tolopotomoy  Creek,  by  way  of  Cold  Harbor  and  Bethesda 
Church.  Orders  were  accordingly  issued  and  during  the  night 
of  the  28th,  the  army  was  withdrawn  across  the  North  Anna 


1864.]  TO   THE   JAMES    RIVER.  395 

and  put  on    the  march  for  the  passage  of  the  Pamunkey  at 
Hanover  Town. 

The  two^divisions  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  that  had  been  tempo- 
rarily under  the  command  of  Generals  Hancock  and  Warren, 
were  united  with  General  Willcox's  division,  and  on  the  27th 
the  entire  Corps  was  concentrated  near  Mount  Carmel  Church 
and  awaited  orders  to  move.  On  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  the 
movement  towards  the  crossing  of  the  Pamunkey,  at  Hanover 
Town,  began.  The  second  division,  which  was  in  the  advance, 
reached  the  river  bank  and  crossed  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  even- 
ing  of  the  28th.  The  rear  division,  General  Willcox's,  crossed 
at  one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  29th.  The  Ninth  Corps 
took  position  between  the  second  and  fifth  and  intrenched.  On 
the  30th  General  Burnside  moved  the  Corps  across  Tolopoto- 
moy  Creek,  skirmishing  with  the  enemy  at  every  point,  par- 
ticularly in  front  of  the  second  division,  and  forcing  back  all 
opposition.  On  the  31st  the  entire  line  was  moved  forward 
from  one  to  three  fourths  of  a  mile,  under  a  brisk  fire,  and  after 

a  smart  engagement,  involving:  considerable  loss,  several  de- 
cs    o  '  c  7 

tached  lines  of  skirmish  pits  were  carried,  and  our  troops  pushed 
closely  up  to  the  enemy's  main  lines. 

The  1st  and  2d  of  June  were  passed  in  changing,  establish- 
ing and  strengthening  our  lines,  and  in  making  such  disposition 
of  troops  as  promised  the  most  decisive  results.  Almost  con- 
tinual skirmishing  took  place  while  these  movements  were  go- 
ing forward,  and  the  sharpshooters  on  both  sides  were  busily 
employed.  On  the  1st,  j^articularly,  there  was  severe  fighting 
by  the  cavalry  and  infantry  at  different  points  of  the  line.  But 
no  very  general  engagement  ensued.  Several  gallant  charges 
were  made  by  different  divisions  on  either  side,  and  the  result 
of  the  operations  was  our  occupancy  of  the  country  extending 
from  a  point  near  the  Chickahominy  to  Bethesda  Church.  In 
the  course  of  these  two  days  the  Ninth  Corps  was  moved  from 
the  centre  to  the  right.  By  the  night  of  the  2d  it  was  posted 
on  the  extreme  right  of  the  line,  the  right  partially  refused,  the 
left  resting,  near  Bethesda  Church,  the  main  line  running  part 


396  LAST    YEAR    OP   THE   REBELLION.  [June, 

of  the  way  parallel  to  the  Mechanicsville  road,  then  across  to  a 
point  not  far  from  the  Tolopotomoy.  The  movement  was 
made  in  the  face  of  considerable  opposition  by  ^the  enemy, 
and  with  some  loss  of  prisoners  in  General  Crittenden's  divi- 
sion. 

The  object  of  these  movements  was  for  the  purpose  of  forcing 
the  passage  of  the  Chickahominy  and  driving  General  Lee  into 
the  intrenchments  around  Richmond.     With  this  end  in  view, 
a  force  of  sixteen  thousand  men  -under  General  W  F    Smith 
had  been  brought  round  on  the  29th  of  May  from  Bermuda 
Hundred  to  White  House,  and  had  been  instructed  to  march  to 
New  Cold  Harbor  in  order  to  seize  that  important  point.    By  a 
mistake  in  the  transmission  of  the  order,  the  name  of  the  place 
had  been  wrongly  given,  and  General  Smith  had  unfortunately 
directed  his  command  towards  Newcastle.     This  deflection  of 
the  line  of  march  lost  us  a  great  advantage,  and  General  Grant 
was  obliged  to  be  content  with  the  occupation  of  old  Cold  Har- 
bor— a  position  of  much  less  consequence.     This  was  the  centre 
of  General  Grant's — or  rather,  since  the  union  of  the    Ninth 
Corps  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  General  Meade's — posi- 
tion, his  left  resting  near  the  Despatch  Station  road,   and  his 
right  near   Bethesda    Church.     General  Lee's   line  extended 
from  a  point  a  few  miles  east  of  Atlee's  Station  beyond  Shady 
Grove,  covering  New  Cold  Harbor,  and  commanding  the  pub- 
lic roads,  with  the  Chickahominy  in  the  rear.     In  front  numer- 
ous thickets  and  marshy  places   rendered  the  approach   diffi- 
cult.    The  line  was  well  intrenched,  in  some  places  formidably 
so,  and  defied  attack.     The  key  to  the  position  was  opposite 
General   Hancock's  corps  on  the   left  and  was  a  redoubt   or 
earthwork  occupying  a  crest  called  Watt's  Hill,  with  a  sunken 
road  in  front.     The  ground  had  already  been  fought  over  in  the 
Peninsular  campaign  of  General  McClellan,  the  position  of  the 
two  armies  being  reversed.     Our  entire  line  was  at  least  eight 
miles  in  length.     The  ground  was   varied,   wearing   the  same 
features    as  the   region  north   of  the   Pamunkey,    woodland, 


1864.]  TO    THE   JAMES    RIVER.  397 

marsh,  hills,  and  open  plain,  a  capital  country  for  defence  by 
inferior  forces. 

About  sunrise  on  the  3d  the  assault  commenced.  Artillery 
opened  along  the  line.  In  front  of  General  Hancock,  the  two 
divisions  of  Generals  Barlow  and  Gibbon  made  a  magnificent 
charge,  which  swept  before  them  all  opposing  forces,  and  gave 
them  for  a  few  minutes  the  summit  of  the  enemy's  position. 
Had  these  two  brave  divisions  been  promptly  supported  the 
day  would  have  been  our  own,  and  General  Grant's  plan  would 
have  been  grandly  successful.  But  the  supports  were  from 
some  cause  delayed,  the  enemy  rallied,  poured  in  a  murderous 
enfilading  fire,  and  our  men  were  forced  to  give  way  and  finally 
to  abandon  the  captured  work  with  its  guns.  Two  or  three 
hundred  prisoners  and  an  advanced  position  near  the  enemy's 
line  were  the  only  fruits  of  this  gallant  assault,  and  for  these 
we  paid  dearly.  "  In  less  than  an  hour  Hancock's  loss  was 
above  three  thousand."*  The  sixth  corps  and  General  Smith's 
command  made  gallant  attempts  to  carry  the  enemy's  position, 
but  succeeded  only  in  dislodging  him  from  his  exterior  defences. 
These  were  brilliant  charges,  splendid  heroism  and  immense 
sacrifice.  But  the  inability  of  General  Barlow  to  hold  his  ad- 
vanced position  had  really  decided  the  contest  on  our  left,  and 
proved  the  strength  and  determination  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  right,  the  brunt  of  the  battle  fell  upon  the  Ninth 
Corps.  The  fifth  was  formed  in  a  long  attenuated  line,  and 
could  do  little  else  but  hold  the  ground  on  which  its  ranks 
stood.  The  Ninth,  formed  with  its  right  refused,  could  not 
make  the  attack  quite  so  early  in  the  day  as  the  corps  upon  the 
left.  General  Wilson's  cavalry  division  was  pushed  out  on 
the  extreme  right,  the  two  divisions  of  Generals  Willcox  and 
Potter  were  formed  for  attack,  and  General  Crittenden's  divi- 
sion was  held  in  reserve.  Colonel  Curtin's  brigade  of  General 
Potter's  division  made  a  daring  charge,  drove  in  the  enemy's 


*Swinton  ;  Campaigns  of  Army  of  Potomac,  p.  486, 


398  LAST   TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JUNE, 

skirmishers,  carried  some  detached  rifle  pits,  forced  the  enemy — 
consisting  of  portions  of  Longstreet's  and  EwelPs  corps — back 
into  the  inner  works,  and  established  itself  in  close  proximity  to 
his  intrenchments.  General  Griffin's  brigade  came  up  in  sup- 
port, and  held  the  right  flank  of  the  corps.  Our  artillery  was 
brought  forward  and  did  effective  service,  silencing  the  enemy's 
batteries  and  blowing  up  two  of  his  caissons.  General  Will- 
cox's  division  attacked  at  an  early  hour,  and  recaptured  a  line 
of  rifle  pits  that  had  been  lost  on  the  previous  night.  General 
Hartranft's  brigade  won  additional  distinction  by  the  manner  in 
which  it  advanced  upon  the  enemy,  driving  him,  as  Curtin  had 
done,  into  his  interior  works.  Artillery  was  brought  to  the 
front,  as  on  the  right,  and  the  Ninth  was  fairly  established  face 
to  face  with  the  foe  at  the  shortest  possible  distance,  ready 
for  a  second  spring  upon  the  stronger  line  of  works. 

Orders  were  given  for  a  simultaneous  attack  by  the  two  ad- 
vanced divisions,  to  be  delivered  at  one  o'clock.  Intelligence 
of  the  movement  was  communicated  to  General  Wilson,  and 
the  suggestion  made  to  him  to  move  his  command  around  the 
enemy's  left  flank  and  attack  him  in  the  rear.  The  plan  of 
attack  seemed  certainly  feasible,  and  had  fine  promise  of  suc- 
cess. But,  as  the  movement  had  so  signally  failed  on  the  left 
of  the  army,  General  Meade  thought  it  best  to  suspend  further 
operations,  and  just  as  the  skirmishers  of  the  Ninth  Corps  were 
advancing  against  the  enemy,  General  Burnside  received  ordere 
to  cease  all  offensive  operations.  The  skirmish  line  was  ac- 
cordingly drawn  in,  and  our  entire  position  strengthened. 
During  the  afternoon,  the  enemy  made  a  sortie  and  ventured 
upon  an  assault,  but  was  quickly  and  vigorously  repulsed. 
The  men  of  the  Ninth  Corps  had  bravely  fought,  and  were  on 
the  point  of  winning  a  decisive  advantage.  They  had  shared 
in  the  honors  and  dangers  of  the  movement.  They  also  shared 
in  its  disappointments.  Their  blood  had  been  freely  spilt. 
Their  losses  had  been  severe.  More  than  a  thousand  men  had 
fallen  killed  or  wounded.     But  all  this  heroic  self-sacrifice  had 


1864.]  TO   THE   JAMES   RIVER.  399 

been  as  yet  unsuccessful.     The  enemy's  works  still  barred  the 
road  to  Kichmond.* 

The  issue  of  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  was  not  what  was 


*  Mr.  Swinton,  in  his  history  of  the  Campaigns  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
is  copious  and  severe  in  his  criticisms  of  the  entire  movement  from  the  Rapidan. 
He  lauds  General  Lee  and  his  principal  officers,  and  correspondingly  dispar- 
ages General  Grant  and  some  of  his  associates.  He  does  not  appear  to  enter- 
tain a  very  high  opinion  of  General  Meade's  ability  or  skill,  and,  in  his  remarks 
upon  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  on  page  487,  he  insinuates  a  very  grave  charge 
against  the  entire  army.  "  The  action  was  decided,"  he  says,  "in  an  incredi- 
bly brief  time  in  the  morning's  assault-  But  rapidly  as  the  result  was  reached, 
it  was  decisive;  for  the  consciousness  of  every  man  pronounced  further  assault 
hopeless.  The  troops  went  forward  as  far  as  the  example  of  their  officers 
could  carry  them;  nor  was  it  possible  to  urge  them  beyond;  for  there  they 
knew  lay  only  death,  without  even  the  chance  of  victow.  The  completeness 
with  which  this  judgment  had  been  reached  by  the  whore  army  was  strikingly 
illustrated  by  an  incident  that  occurred  during  the  forenoon.  Some  hours  after 
the  failure  of  the  first  assault,  General  Meade  sent  instructions  to  each  corps 
commander  to  renew  the  attack  without  reference  to  the  troops  on  his  right  or 
left.  The  order  was  issued  through  these  officers  to  their  subordinate  com- 
manders, and  from  them  descended  through  the  wonted  channels;  but  no  man 
stirred,  and  immobile  lines  pronounced  a  verdict,  silent,  yet  emphatic,  against 
further  slaughter." 

This  statement  seems  altogether  incredible.  It  has  bee#  thought  that  there 
was  some  basis  of  fact  in  it,  especially  as  it  regarded  some  of  the  corps  com- 
manders; but  how  much,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  If  true,  it  shows  that  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  was  affected  by  universal  cowardice,  or  was  in  a  state 
of  downright  mutiny.  That  the  commanding  general  should  issue  a  distinct 
order,  and  that  the  soldiers  of  his  army  should  utterly  refuse  to  take  the  first 
step  towards  its  obedience,  is  not  to  be  believed  for  a  moment.  Indeed,  if  the 
judgment  of  General  Meade  and  other  officers  was  not  at  fault,  Mr.  Swinton's 
declarations  are  to  be  considered  as  requiring  considerable  qualification.  So 
systematically  and  persistently  had  he,  while  correspondent  of  the  New  York 
Times,  given  inaccurate  accounts  of  the  movements  and  operations  of  the 
army  as  to  draw  upon  him  the  notice  both  of  General  Grant  and  his  subordinate 
officers.  He  was  finally  dismissed  from  the  lines  of  the  army  by  a  formal  or- 
der from  General  Meade,  dated  on  the  6th  of  July.  He  was  recited  as  "  hav- 
ing abused  the  privileges  conferred  upon  "  him  "  by  forwarding  for  publication 
incorrect  statements  respecting  the  operations  of  the  troops."  He  was  warned 
not  to  return,  and  corps  commanders  were  advised,  that  should  he  be  found 
within  the  limits  of  the  army,  he  was  to  be  "  sent  under  guard  to  the  Provost 
Marshal  General "  at  headquarters.  It  is  possible  that  the  mortification  caused 
by  this  expulsion  from  the  army  is  the  secret  source  of  his  unfavorable  criticism 
of  Generals  Grant  and  Meade.  What  bearing  this  fact  may  have  upon  the 
worth  of  hie  volume,  as  an  authority  for  the  declarations  which  it  contains 
any  one  can  judge.  An  untruthful  correspondent  can  hardly  make  a  trust- 
worthy historian. 


400  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JUNE, 

expected  or  desired  by  General  Grant.  But  it  effectually- 
proved  that  we  could  not  cross  the  Chickahominy  at  this 
point,  without  the  greatest  opposition  and  a  vast  sacrifice  of 
life.  General  Grant  was  not  yet  disposed  to  retire,  and  for 
the  next  few  days  the  army  intrenched  itself,  buried  the  dead, 
cared  for  the  wounded,  and  prepared  to  enter  upon  new  and 
more  promising  movements.  The  enemy  made  one  or  two 
assaults,  which  were  beaten  back  with  severe  loss  to  the  attack- 
ing force.  At  midnight,  on  the  6th,  a  heavy  charge  was  made 
on  General  Burnside's  position,  which  was  very  gallantly  re- 
pulsed by  the  men  of  the  Ninth.  Meanwhile  our  line  had  been 
shortened  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  fifth  corps  to  the  rear  for  a 
reserve,  and  the  substitution  of  the  Ninth  in  its  place.  General 
Meade  was  manoeuvring  to  prepare  for  a  change  of  base,  and 
for  throwing  his  army  across  to  the  south  bank  of  the  James. 
It  was  a  delicate  and  hazardous  movement,  and  was  gradually 
accomplished  by  moving  our  lines  steadily  to  the  left,  refusing 
our  right  flank,  until  the  time  for  marching  the  entire  army 
should  arrive.  Upon  the  fifth  and  Ninth  Corps  devolved  the 
most  difficult  of  these  manoeuvres — the  two  commands  alter- 
nating in  moving  by  the  flank  and  rear. 

Of  course  the  movements  could  not  be  made  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  enemy,  who  endeavored  to  thwart  them  and 
harass  our  troops.  A  hill  near  our  lines,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Tucker  estate,  which  was  needed  for  fortifying,  became  the 
scene  of  some  sharp  fighting,  and  was  at  different  times  in  our 
own  and  the  enemy's  hands.  General  Potter  had  taken  the 
position  and  posted  his  skirmishers.  Upon  these  the  enemy 
advanced,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  6th,  and  drove  them  off,  cap- 
turing a  few  prisoners.  He  established  batteries  and  com- 
menced an  ineffective  cannonade.  Withdrawing  in  the  nieht, 
he  left  the  hill  once  more  free  for  occupation  by  our  troops.  Our 
skirmishers  again  took  possession,  and  a  working  party  dug  a 
long  line  of  rifle  pits.  But  on  the  7th,  a  heavy  force  of  the 
enemy  appeared,  and  again  drove  in  our  men.  During  the 
following    night,     General    Potter,    unwilling    to    yield    that 


1864.]  TO   THE    JAMES    EIVEE.  401 

part  of  our  line,  advanced  and  forced  the  enemy  away  from  the 
position.  The  hill  was  again  occupied,  strongly  fortified 
and  held  securely.  A  flag  of  truce  was  flying  during  a 
portion  of  the  afternoon  of  the  7th,  for  the  burial  of  the  dead 
and  the  removal  of  the  wounded.  But  the  enemy  in  front  of 
the  Ninth  Corps  did  not  appear  to  notice  it,  and  even  fired 
upon  those  who  were  assumed  to  be  under  its  protection. 

The  four  following  days  passed  without  event,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  retirement  of  General  Crittenden,  who  was  re- 
lieved at  his  own  request  from  the  command  of  the  first  division. 
Brigadier  General  Ledlie  was  assigned  to  the  command  by 
seniority  of  rank.  Events  proved  it  to  be  an  unfortunate  sub- 
stitution. The  usual  amount  of  picket  and  artillery  firing  was 
kept  up,  and  the  working  parties  on  both  sides  were  greatly 
annoyed.  Beyond  that,  small  damage  was  done.  Within  the 
lines,  it  became  manifest  to  all  the  soldiers  in  the  army  that 
another  flanking  movement  by  the  left  was  contemplated. 
General  Grant  decided  to  place  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  on 
the  south  side  of  the  James — an  object  which,  he  declares  in 
his  report,  he  had  "  from  the  start."  He  had  hoped  to  have 
beaten  General  Lee  before  he  did  this  ;  but  whether  General 
Lee  was  beaten  or  not,  the  point  to  take  Bichmond  was  cer- 
tainly from  the  south.  Accordingly,  the  railroad  from  West 
Point  was  dismantled  and  supplies  were  diverted  to  City  Point. 
The  cavalry  was  sent  off'  in  various  directions  to  cut  the 
enemy's  communications,  and  the  army  moved.  On  the  night 
of  the  12th  it  began  its  march,  and  the  great  campaign  in  Vir- 
ginia north  of  the  James  river  was  ended. 

In  reviewing  these  grand  movements,  extending  over  more 
than  five  weeks  of  time,  almost  every  hour  of  which  witnessed 
a  combat  at  some  point,  it  is  impossible  not  to  admire  the  won- 
derful resolution  and  bravery  displayed  on  both  sides.  Gen- 
eral Grant,  in  one  of  his  despatches,  says  that  the  enemy  seemed 
"  to  have  found  his  last  ditch."  But  if  General  Lee  exhibited 
great  capacity  fof  defence,  he  soon  discovered  that  he  had  met 
with  more  than  his  match  in  the  tenacity,  the   determination 

51 


402  LAST    YEAR    OF  .THE   REBELLION.  [June, 

and  skill  with  which  General  Grant  pushed  on  his  aggressive 
operations.  General  Lee  was  very  greatly  aided  by  the  pecu- 
liar formation  of  the  country  ;  rivers  crossing  the  lines  of  march 
almost  at  right  angles  ;  forests  of  vast  extent,  which  afforded 
concealment  for  the  movements  of  an  army  on  its  defence  or 
retreating  ;  marshes  which  could  be  used  for  the  protection  of 
positions  selected  for  a  stand ;  hills,  each  one  of  which  could 
speedily  be  made  to  become  a  fort;  and  all  these  strengthened 
by  all  the  appliances  of  engineering  skill  which  had  leisurely 
constructed  defensive  works  in  view  of  just  this  contingency,  or 
had  hastily  thrown  them  up  as  the  emergency  demanded.  But 
all  his  skill,  his  ability,  his  resources,  the  advantages  of  his 
chosen  positions,  the  very  favorable  opportunities  which  the 
natural  features  of  the  country  supplied,  were  of  .little  avail 
except  to  postpone  defeat  for  a  season.  In  the  end  they  were 
compelled  to  give  way  before  the  indomitable  will,  the  resist- 
less and  steady  advance,  the  undaunted  spirit,  the  matchless 
persistence  and  energy  of  General  Grant  and  his  army. 

It  is  true,  that  the  advance  was  slow,  and  that  every  mile  was 
marked  with  brave  men's  blood.  But  still  the  advance  was 
made.  Positions  which  could  not  be  successfully  assailed 
without  vast  expenditure  of  human  life,  were  turned  by  those 
flank  marches  in  the  face  of  an  enemy,  which,  under  the  lead 
of  unskilful  men,  are  sure  to  result  disastrously,  but  which, 
when  made  by  a  man  of  genius,  are  as  successful  as  great  bat- 
tles won.  In  all  these  operations,  the  Ninth  Corps  participated 
in  a  manner  to  reflect  the  highest  honor  upon  all  its  officers  and 
men,  and  especially  so  upon  its  hopeful  General  and  his  division 
commanders.  No  campaign  during  the  progress  of  the  war 
was  at  all  so  severe  in  its  demands  upon  human  endurance 
and  human  courage  as  those  forty  days  of  marching  and  fight- 
ing. To  say  that  the  Ninth  Corps  in  every  position  did  all 
that  was  required  of  it,  and  commensurately  suffered,  is  to  declare 
sufficient  praise  for  the  living  and  the  dead.  More  than  one- 
fourth  of  the  number  of  those  who  had  crossed  the  Eapidan 
had  been  killed  or  disabled  from  service.     In  the  second  and 


1864.]  TO   THE   JAMES    RIVER.  403 

third  divisions,  the  reports  of  Generals  Potter  and  Willcox 
state  the  losses  to  have  been  four  thousand  five  hundred  and 
thirty-two  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  The  losses  in  the  first 
division  were  proportionately  great.  The  remainder  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  suffered  in  an  equal  degree. 

The  question  whether  General  Grant  could  have  placed  his 
command  on  the  south  side  of  the  James,  without  the  great 
sacrifices  which  he  was  thus  compelled  to  make,  has  often  been 
discussed.  With  the  army  of  General  Lee  confronting  him  on 
the  Kapidan,  and  ready  to  improve  every  advantage  which  a 
false  step  on  our  part  would  give,  a  movement  of  General 
Grant's  army  to  Alexandria  or  Aquia  Creek,  and  thence  by 
water  to  the  James  Eiver,  would  have  been  very  hazardous  to 
the  Capital  and  its  defenders  themselves.  It  was  necessary  to 
cover  Washington  while  attacking  Richmond.  But  Richmond 
was  not  so  much  the  objective  point  as  was  General  Lee's 
army.  General  Grant  hoped  to  defeat  General  Lee  as  soon  as 
he  could  bring  him  to  action  in  the  open  field.  But  the  Army 
of  Northern  Virginia  was  on  ground  with  which  its  generals 
were  perfectly  familiar,  and  was  not  so  easily  to  be  beaten  as 
was  supposed.  It  is  possible  that  General  Lee  may  also  have 
thought  that  he  was  to  win  an  easy  victory.  He  accord- 
ingly attacked  with  confidence  in  the  Wilderness.  But  the 
very  significant  fact  is  to  be  observed,  that  he  did  not  attack 
afterwards.  From  that  moment,  he  fought  defensive  battles, 
and  did  not  venture  upon  aggressive  movements.  Not  even 
while  General  Grant  was  making  his  hazardous  flank  marches 
did  the  enemjr  dare  to  make  more  than  feeble  demonstrations. 
When,  therefore,  General  Grant  reached  the  James,  he  had  an 
army  in  front  of  him,  which  considered  itself  safe  only  behind 
its  defensive  works.  This  was  the  result  of  General  Grant's 
continuous  "  hammering  " — and  it  was  a  great  result.  More- 
over, the  railroads  leading  to  Washington  from  the  south  were 
destroyed  or  rendered  useless,  and  the  Capital  was  thus  safe 
from  serious  attack.  The  difference  between  General  McClel- 
lan's  and  General  Grant's  positions  on  the  Peninsula  was  this  : 


404  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JUNE, 

the  former  found  an  enemy  always  ready  to  give,  the  latter 
found  an  enemy  ready  only  to  receive,  battle.  In  war,  success 
is  the  chief  test  of  power.  General  Grant's  magnificent  success 
is  a  complete  justification  of  the  wisdom  of  his  plans. 

What  if  the  Ninth  Corps  had  been  sent  to  North  Carolina, 
and  the  grand  interior  line  of  communication  brolven  between 
Richmond  and  the  extreme  South  ?  A  movement  against  Wil- 
mington,  Goldsboro'  or  Raleigh  certainly  seemed  promising, 
and  when  it  was  finally  made,  proved  most  effectual.  What  if 
General  Burnside  had  been  sent  to  City  Point,  and  the  move- 
ment against  Petersburg  entrusted  to  him  ?  It  is  not  the  de- 
sign of  this  work  to  discuss  probabilities.  But,  judging  from 
the  opinion  which  General  Burnside  had  long  before  formed 
respecting  the  importance  of  a  movement  upon  Petersburg,  it 
is  certain  that  he  would  have  bent  all  his  energies  to  achieve  a 
complete  success.  But  there  is  another  question.  What  if 
the  Ninth  Corps  had  not  reenforced  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness?  The  result  of  the  first  day's 
fighting  there  was  anything  but  promising.  What  the  result 
of  the  second  day  would  have  been  without  the  presence  of  the 
Ninth  Corps,  of  course  it  is  impossible  to  say.  But  that  the 
reenforcement  was  most  opportune,  that  it  strengthened  the 
disordered  lines  of  General  Grant,  that  it  aided  materially  in 
checking  the  enemy,  and  gave  General  Grant  confidence  in  his 
ability  to  cope  successfully  with  his  resolute  antagonist,  there 
can  be  no  question.  Whatever  disappointment  may  have  been 
felt  by  General  Burnside  or  any  of  his  officers,  in  the  relin- 
quishment of  a  coastwise  expedition,  was  entirely  lost  in  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  Ninth  Corps  was  affording  the 
Lieutenant  General  a  very  great  assistance  in  carrying  his 
plans  to  a  triumphant  conclusion. 


1864.]  IN   FRONT    OF   PETERSBURG.  405 


CHAPTER     IV 


IN   FRONT    OF   PETERSBURG. 


THE  movement  to  the  south  side  of  the  James,  and  the 
transfer  of  the  scene  of  action  from  the  front  of  Richmond 
to  the  front  of  Petersburg,  has  been  universally  considered  as 
a  master  piece  of  military  skill.  Petersburg  was  in  reality  the 
citadel  of  Richmond,  and  would  carry  with  it  in  its  fall  the  fate 
of  the  Rebel  Capital.  It  is  curious  to  observe  the  series  of 
disappointments  to  which  General  Grant  was  subjected  in  his 
operations  against  this  important  point.  In  the  first  place, 
General  Butler  failed  to  make  any  impression  upon  the  line  of 
communication  between  Richmond  and  Petersburg.  Again, 
while  General  Grant  was  holding  all  the  enemy's  available 
force  around  Richmond,  he  ordered  General  Butler  to  send 
out  a  force  against  Petersburg-.  General  Gillmore  was  des- 
patched,  on  the  10th  of  June,  to  attack  the  city  from  the  east, 
and  General  Kautz,  with  a  division  of  cavalry,  to  make  a  de- 
tour and  attack  from  the  south.  The  works  were  held  only  by 
the  local  militia  and  a  few  troops  of  Wise's  Legion.  General 
Kautz  was  brilliantly  successful,  actually  entering  the  city. 
General  Gillmore  was  ingloriously  unsuccessful.  He  marched 
up  to  a  point  where  he  could  see  the  spires  of  the  city,  ob- 
served the  defencesj  turned  about  and  retired  to  Bermuda  Hun- 
dred. General  Kautz,  deprived  of  his  cooperating  force,  was 
obliged  to  loosen  his  grasp  upon  the  prize,  and  also  retired. 
Once  more,  as  a  preliminary  to  the  movement  of  the  army  to 
the  south  of  Richmond,  the  eighteenth  corps  was  directed  par- 
ticularly against  Petersburg.  General  Smith's  command  was 
put  on  transports  at  the  White  House  and  arrived  at  Bermuda 


406  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Juke, 

Hundred  at  midnight  on  the  14th.  General  Grant,  who  was 
then  at  that  point,  immediately  ordered  him  forward  to  Peters- 
burg;. General  Lee  was  still  watching-  the  movements  of  Gen- 
eral  Meade's  army,  and  the  defences  of  Petersburg  were  almost 
without  a  garrison. 

"  General  Smith,"  says  General  Grant  in  his  report,  "  got 
off  as  directed,  and  confronted  the  enemy's  pickets  near  Peters- 
burg before  daylight  next  morning,  but  for  some  reason  that  I 
have  never  been  able  to  satisfactorily  understand,  did  not  get 
ready  to  assault  his  main  lines  until  near  sundown.  Then,  with 
a  part  of  his  command  only,  he  made  the  assault,  and  carried 
the  line  northeast  of  Petersburg  from  the  Appomattox  river  for 
a  distance  of  over  two  and  a  half  miles,  capturing  fifteen  pieces  of 
artillery  and  three  hundred  prisoners.  This  was  about  seven  P.M. 
Between  the  line  thus  captured  and  Petersburg  there  were  no 
other  works,  and  there  was  no  evidence  that  the  enemy  had 
reenforced  Petersburg  with  a  single  brigade  from  any  source. 
The  night  was  clear,  the  moon  shining  brightly,  and  favorable 
to  further  operations.  General  Hancock,  with  two  divisions 
of  the  second  corps,  reached  General  Smith  just  after  dark,  and 
offered  the  services  of  these  troops  as  he  (Smith)  might  wish, 
waiving  rank  to  the  named  commander,  who  he  naturally  sup- 
posed knew  best  the  position  of  affairs  and  what  to  do  with  the 
troops.  But  instead  of  taking  these  troops  and  pushing  at  once 
into  Petersburg,  he  requested  General  Hancock  to  relieve  a  part 
of  his  line  in  the  captured  works,  which  was  done  before  mid- 
night." On  the  16th,  General  Lee  threw  in  reinforce- 
ments, and  the  golden  moment  passed.  In  this  movement, 
a  division  of  colored  troops,  under  Brigadier  General  Hinks, 
seem  to  have  won  the  brightest  laurels.  They  first  attacked 
and  carried  the  enemy's  outpost  at  Bailey's  Farm,  capturing 
one  piece  of  artillery  in  the  most  gallant  manner.  On  their 
arrival  before  Petersburg,  they  lay  in  front  of  the  works  for 
nearly  five  hours,  waiting  for  the  word  of  command.  They 
then,  in  company  with  the  white  troops,  and  showing  equal 


18fi4.  IN   FRONT    OF   PETERSBURG.  407 

bravery,  rushed  and  carried  the  enemy's  line  of  works,  with 
what  glorious  success  has  already  been  related. 

While  these  operations  had  been  going  forward,  General 
Sheridan  had  proceeded  with  his  cavalry  as  far  to  the  rear  as 
Gordonsville,  having  considerable  fighting,  and  destroying  the 
railroads  running  north  from  Eichmond.  With  Washington 
secure  and  the  eighteenth  corps  well  on  its  way  towards  Pe- 
tersburg, General  Grant  directed  General  Meade  to  move  his 
army  across  the  James. 

The  movement  commenced  on  the  night  of  the  12th.  It  was 
skilfully  performed.  The  withdrawal  of  the  troops  was  made 
almost  without  the  knowledge  of  the  enemy.  Certainly  Gene- 
ral Lee  did  not  know  until  he  heard  the  intelligence  of  General 
Smith's  attack  upon  Petersburg,  to  what  point  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  was  moving.  He  supposed,  up  to  the  last  mo- 
ment, that  General  Grant  intended  attacking  Eichmond  by 
way  of  the  river  roads.  General  Warren,  with  his  corps  as- 
sisted in  producing  this  impression  by  halting  on  the  road 
through  White  Oak  Swamp,  and  making  a  feint  upon  Eich- 
mond from  that  direction.  The  march  of  the  army  was  thus 
completely  covered  from  the  enemy's  observation. 

The  Ninth  Corps  was  withdrawn  with  great  secrecy.  Even 
the  retirement  of  the  pickets  was  wholly  unknown  to  the  ene- 
my, who  continued  for  at  least  an  hour  after  the  departure  of 
the  Corps  to  fire  artillery  upon  one  of  our  vacant  earthworks. 
The  Corps  moved  out  to  Tunstall's  Station,  where  it  arrived 
about  daylight  on  the  13th.  The  roads  were  filled  with  the 
trains  of  the  army,  which  by  some  mistake,  had  got  in  the  way 
of  the  marching  columns.  Considerable  delay  ensued,  which 
the  men  improved  by  taking  a  little  rest  along  the  roadside. 
As  soon  as  the  way  was  cleared,  the  Corps  was  again  put  in 
motion,  and,  marching  by  way  of  Baltimore  cross  roads  and 
Olive  Church,  gained  a  point  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from 
Sloane's  Crossing  of  the  Chickahominy  about  nightfall.  The 
sixth  corps  was  then  crossing  the  river  by  a  ponton  bridge  and 
the  Ninth  went  into  bivouac  for  the  night.     At  an  early  hour 


408  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JUNE, 

the  next  morning,  the  Ninth  Corps  crossed  the  Chickahominy 
and  marched  on  the  14th  by  way  of  Varden's,  Cloptons,  and 
Tyler's  Mills,  reaching  the  James  river  that  evening  and  taking 
position  on  the  right  of  the  sixth  corps.  This  position  was 
fortified  and  the  Corps  remained  there  during  the  15th.  On 
the  evening  of  the  15th,  it  crossed  the  James  on  a  ponton  bridge 
above  Fort  Powhattan,  and  immediately  pushed  on  to  Peters- 
burg to  participate  in  the  operations  of  Generals  Smith  and 
Hancock.  The  sixth  corps  had  been  immediately  in  advance 
of  the  Ninth,  but  was  now  diverted  to  assist  in  an  ineffectual 
movement  upon  the  enemy's  communications  between  Eich- 
mond  and  Petersburg.  The  second  corps  had  been  carried 
across  by  transports  and  ferry  boats  at  Wilcox's  Landing,  land- 
ed at  "Windmill  Point,  and  was  now  in  front  of  Petersburg. 
The  fifth  corps  followed  the  Ninth,  and  was  also  put  en  route 
for  Petersburg.  In  the  march-of  the  Ninth  a  body  of  engineers 
under  Major  Morton  of  the  staff  led  the  van,  General  Willcox's 
division  headed  the  main  column  and  General  Potter's  brought 
up  the  rear.  The  entire  movement  was  made  by  the  whole 
army  without  casualty  or  molestation  from  the  enemy.  At  ten 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  the  advance  division  had 
arrived  at  our  lines  before  Petersburg  awaiting;  orders  for  an 
assault.  An  hour  or  two  afterwards  the  remainder  of  the  com- 
mand had  come  up,  and  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the 
entire  Corps  was  placed  in  position  upon  the  extreme  left  of 
the  line. 

The  original  design  of  General  Meade  was  to  attack  the 
enemy  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  But  some  delay  oc- 
curred and  the  assault*  was  not  made  till  six  o'clock.  The 
attack  was  delivered  by  General  Barlow's  division  of  General 
Hancock's  corps.  General  Griffin's  brigade,  reporting  to  Gen- 
eral Barlow,  participated  in  this  movement.  The  attack  was 
not,  however,  attended  with  important  results.  General  Grif- 
fin succeeded  in  securing  a  few  rifle  pits,  and  amid  heavy  skir- 
mishing, the  night  came  down  upon  the  combatants.  General 
Grant,  not  satisfied  with  previous   operations,   determined  to 


1864.]  IN   FEONT    OF   PETERSBUEG.  409 

make  another  attempt  to  carry  the  place  by  assault.  During 
the  night  of  the  16th,  orders  were  issued  to  attack  at  an  early 
hour  on  the  morning  of  the  17th,  to  make  trial  of  the  enemy's 
defences,  and  if  possible  to  secure  them  for  ourselves. 

General  Potter's  division  was  selected  from  the  Ninth  Corps 
for  the  assaulting  column.  General  Ledlie  was  to  support  the 
attack  with  the  first  division.  To  General  Griffin's  brigade  was 
assigned  the  post  of  honor  and  of  danger,  and  to  General  Grif- 
fin himself  was  given  the  duty  of  planning  and  executing  the 
immediate  attack.  Colonel  Curtin's  brigade  was  to  support. 
General  Griffin  arranged  the  movement  with  great  daring  and 
skill.  Under  cover  of  the  night,  he  led  his  troops  to  a  ravine 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  position,  and  there 
formed  his  column  of  attack — his  own  brigade  in  two  lines, 
the  17th  Vermont,  11th  New  Hampshire,  and  32d  Maine  in 
front,  and  the  6th  and  9th  New  Hampshire,  31st  Maine  and 
2d  Maryland  in  support.  Colonel  Curtin  formed  his  brigade 
with  the  45th  and  48th  Pennsylvania,  and  36th  Massachusetts 
in  front  supported  by  the  7th  Rhode  Island,  2d  New  York 
Eifles  and  58th  Massachusetts.  The  enemy  occupied  an  estate 
at  the  head  of  the  ravine,  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Shind,  with  his 
headquarters  in  the  house,  and  his  artillery  commanding  the 
approaches.  So  near  were  the  enemy's  lines,  that  only  in  whis- 
pers could  the  necessary  orders  be  communicated.  General 
Griffin  enjoined  the  strictest  silence  upon  his  men,  and  ordered 
them,  when  advancing,  not  to  fire  a  shot  but  to  depend  upon 
the  bayonet  for  clearing  the  works.  Even  the  canteens  were 
placed  inside  the  haversacks  to  prevent  their  rattling.  At  the 
first  blush  of  the  morning  the  word  "forward!"  was  passed 
quietly  along  the  column.  The  men  sprang  to  their  feet,  and 
noiselessly,  rapidly,  vigorously  moved  upon  the  enemy — Griffin 
to  the  right,  Curtin  to  the  left.  They  burst  upon  him  with  the 
fury  of  a  tornado.  They  took  him  completely  by  surprise. 
They  swept  his  lines  for  a  mile,  gathering  up  arms,  flags,  can- 
non and  prisoners  all  along  their  victorious  pathway.  A  stand 
of  colors,  four  piecefe  of  artillery  with  their  caissons  and  horses, 

52 


410  LAST   YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [June, 

fifteen  hundred  stands  of  small  arms,  a  quantity  of  ammunition 
and  six  hundred  prisoners  were  the  fruits  of  this  splendid 
charge.  A  wide  breach  was  made  in  the  enemy's  lines,  and  it 
seemed  as  though  the  defences  of  Petersburg  were  within  our 
grasp.*  But  the  energetic  movement  of  General  Griffin  was 
not  followed  up.  Colonel  Curtin  had  most  gallantly  done  his 
part,  and  General  Potter  was  promptly  on  the  ground  to  direct 
the  assault.  But  where  were  the  supports  ?  General  Ledlie 
was  not  at  hand  with  his  division.  Fallen  timber  and  other 
obstructions  lay  across  the  way,  and  the  men,  stumbling  over 
them  in  the  darkness,  made  but  slow  progress.  When  the 
junction  was  finally  made,  it  was  too  late  to  do  any  more  than 
to  secure  the  advantage  already  gained.  Had  the  supporting 
division  been  present  at  time,  a  very  brilliant  and  decisive  vio- 
tory  would  undoubtedly  have  been  the  result.  As  it  was, 
General  Potter  could  only  maintain  his  position,  pushing  up  his 
pickets  and  skirmishers  close  to  the  new  line  upon  which  the 
enemy  had  retired. 

Not  long  after  noon,  General  Willcox  was  ordered  to  attack. 
A  little  delay  occurred  in  the  formation  of  the  troops  and  the 
direction  of  the  assault.  This  being  remedied,  the  troops  were 
put  in  position  and  moved  forward  to  the  charge.  General 
Hartranft's  brigade  dashed  on  to  the  attack  in  a  specially  vigor- 
ous and  gallant  style,  and  its  left  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
enemy's  main  line  of  rifle  pits.  By  some  mischance  the  line 
was  so  deflected  as  to  expose  it  to  a  tremendous  fire  both  of 
musketry  and  artillery,  which  inflicted  great  loss  upon  this, 
brave  brigade.  Notwithstanding  the  most  resolute  attempts, 
General  Hartranft  was  compelled  to  withdraw  his  suffering 
troops,  as  his  line  was  melting  away  beneath  the  hot  fire  of  the 
enemy.  Colonel  Christ  was  more  fortunate.  His  brigade 
secured  a  lodgement  about  midway  between  his  first  position  of 
attack  and  the  enemy's  line.  From  this  point  all  the  efforts 
of  the  enemy  could  not  push  our  tenacious  troops.     They  held 

■*MS.  Narrative  of  the  6th  New  Hampshire. 


1864.]  IN   FRONT    OF   PETERSBURG.  411 

on  in  the  midst  of  a  murderous  fire  which  sadly  thinned  their 
ranks  but  could  not  break  their  spirit,  and  received  high  en- 
comium for  their  obstinate  valor.  In  the  afternoon  General 
Ledlie  made  an  attack,  in  which  a  part  of  Colonel  Christ's  bri- 
gade participated.  One  hundred  prisoners  and  a  stand  of  colors 
were  captured,  and  a  number  of  rifle  pits  carried.  The  position 
was  held  until  late  at  night,  when  the  enemy  pressed  down 
upon  General  Ledlie  and  forced  his  retirement  from  the  line 
which  he  had  gained.* 

During  this  day  of  battle,  the  fighting  was  mostly  done  by 
the  Ninth  Corps.  General  Crawford's  division  of  the  fifth 
corps  rendered  General  Ledlie  an  efficient  support  upon  the  left, 
and  General  Barlow  of  the  second  corps  had  given  valuable 
assistance  to  General  Hartranft.  But  beyond  that,  compara- 
tively little  had  been  done  by  the  remainder  of  the  army.  The 
Ninth  Corps,  almost  unassisted,  had  carried  and  now  held  the 
most  advanced  position  of  our  lines  in  front  of  Petersburg.  It 
was  a  brave  and  bloody  exploit.  Out  of  eighteen  hundred  and 
ninety  officers  and  men  in  General  Hartranft's  brigade  but 
about  eleven  hundred  were  ready  for  duty  at  the  close  of  the 
day.  Losses  in  other  parts  of  the  Corps  were  proportionate. 
But  a.  very  decided  advantage  had  been  gained,  the  Ninth 
Corps  had  proved  its  high  and  admirable  efficiency,  and  had 
gained  a  position  which  threatened  to  make  untenable  the  ene- 
my's entire  front  line.  During  the  afternoon,  so  well  had  our 
men  done  their  work,  that  the  batteries  of  the  Corps  were  able 
to  throw  a  few  shells  into  the  city  of  Petersburg  itself. 

On  the  18th  the  Corps  was  again  called  into  action.  It  was 
again  successful.  The  enemy  had  fallen  back  to  a  point  near 
the  Norfolk  and  Petersburg  Eailroad  and  it  became  necessary 
to  force  him  still  further  back  and  into  nearer  proximity  to  the 


*Mr.  Swinton  in  his  imaginative  way  says  (page 510)  that  "the  enemy  after 
dark  leaped  the  breastwords  Burnside  had  captured  and  drove  him  out."  The 
truth  is,  that  only  that  part  of  the  line  which  General  Ledlie's  troops  had  cap- 
tured was  lost.  General  Potter's  and  Colonel  Christ's  <  conquest  was  still  re" 
tained. 


412  LAST   YEAK    OF   THE   EEBELLION.  [JUNE, 

city.  General  Meade  ordered  a  general  assault  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  but  a  large  proportion  of  the  fighting  again 
fell  upon  the  Ninth  Corps.  General  Willcox's  division  was 
to-day  in  the  van  of  the  attack,  supported  by  General  Craw- 
ford's division  of  the  fifth  corps.  General  Hartranft  had  the 
advance  supported  by  Colonel  Kaulston's  (late  Colonel  Christ's) 
brigade.  The  object  was  to  dispossess  the  enemy  of  a  piece  of 
woods  and  the  railroad  cut  which  he  held  in  force.  The  assault 
was  vigorously  made  and  was  successfully  carried  through. 
The  enemy  was  steadily  but  surely  pushed  back  to  the  railroad, 
and  after  considerable  fighting,  he  was  dislodged  from  a  por- 
tion of  the  ravine  through  which  the  road  passed.  The  cut 
here  was  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  deep,  with  steep  sides,  in  which 
"  steps  and  holes  had  to  be  made  to  enable  the  troops  to  climb 
up  on  the  bank."  Very  gallantly  and  creditably  did  the  third 
division  accomplish  its  difficult  task,  holding  against  all  as- 
saults the  ground  which  it  had  gained,  and  fortifying  extem- 
poraneously with  the  rails,  sleepers  and  ties  which  the  men 
tore  up  from  the  track.  Further  operations  were  suspended 
until  the  afternoon,  when  after  new  combinations,  the  entire 
army  was  put  in  position  for  attack  or  support.  The  second 
corps  furnished  three  brigades  for  the  attacking  force.  The 
Ninth  Corps  supported  this  assault.     The  movement  tailed. 

The  brave  men  of  the  second  corps  did  all  that  brave  men 
could,  but  the  enemy's  lines  could  not  be  forced  at  the  close  of  a 
wearisome,  sultry  summer's  day.  The  fifth  corps  on  the  left 
was  no  more  fortunate.  The  enemy  retired  to  a  fortified 
position  in  front  and  around  Cemetery  hill  and  there  he  bade 
defiance  to  our  attacks.  General  Willcox,  supported  by  Colo- 
nel Curtin's  brigade,  was  a  little  more  fortunate.  For  he  suc- 
ceeded in  following  up  his  advantage  in  the  morning  so  well  as 
to  press  the  enemy  still  further  back  from  his  immediate  front. 
He  extended  his  lines  well  across  the  railroad,  and  even  estab- 
lished himself  in  a  position  within  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
yards  of  the  enemy's  salient  work.  It  was  gallantly  done, 
though  with  great  loss.     But  a  thousand  uninjured  men  were 


1864.]  IN    FRONT    OF   PETERSBURG.  413 

left  in  the  ranks  to  intrench  themselves  when  the  night  came  on. 
This  position  was  strengthened  and  made  secure.  It  was  the 
salient  of  our  own  lines  during  the  entire  subsequent  siege  of 
Petersburg.  General  Parke  had  the  direction  of  the  Corps 
during  this  day's  action,  and  it  is  not  less  commendable  to  his 
ability  than  to  the  bravery  of  the  troops,  that  General  Burn- 
side  could  justly  say  in  his  report,  that  "  no  better  fighting  has 
been  done  during  the  war,  than  was  done  by  the  divisions  of 
Generals  Potter  and  Willcox  during  this  attack."  During  that 
night,  General  Potter  made  connections  with  the  second  corps 
on  the  right  and  the  fifth  on  the  left,  holding  the  advance  as  an 
intrenched  skirmish  line.  During  the  next  few  days  the  line  in 
the  immediate  rear  of  the  railroad  was  strongly  intrenched  and 
strengthened  with  traverses,  abatis  and  covered  ways.  After- 
wards two  or  three  field  works  were  built  and  armed.  The 
skirmish  line  itself  was  so  firmly  strengthened  in  the  course  of 
the  next  week  or  two,  and  so  well  manned  as  to  make  it  in  effect 
a  part  of  the  main  line. 

The  losses  in  the  Corps  during  the  operations  of  the  16th, 
17th  and  18th,  had  been  especially  severe.  General  Willcox's 
second  brigade  changed  its  commander  three  times  on  the  18th. 
Colonel  Eaulston  of  the  24th  New  York  dismounted  cavalry 
had  succeeded  Colonel  Christ  who  had  been  wounded  on  the 
previous  day-  Colonel  Eaulston  was  shot  at  his  post  and  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Traverse  of  the  46th  New  York,  who  succeeded 
him,  shared  the  same  fate.  Colonel  Curtin  of  General  Potter's 
division  was  severely  wounded.  Lieutenant  Colonel  George 
C.  Barnes  of  the  20th  Michigan,  a  gallant  officer,  who  had 
greatly  distinguished  himself  in  previous  actions,  was  mortally 
wounded  while  bravely  leading  on  his  men.  He  died  on  the 
20th,  greatly  lamented  by  his  fellow  officers  and  the  men  of  his 
command.  Major  Levant  C.  Bhines  and  Captain  George  C. 
Knight  of  the  1st  Michigan  sharpshooters  fell  on  the  17th 
leaving  an  honorable  record  of  their  former  bravery. 

Among  the  great  number  of  private  soldiers  who  fell  on  this 
ensanguined  field,  the  story  of  one  has  been  preserved  who  is 


414  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JUNE, 

a  very  good  representative  of  a  large  class  of  those  who  made 
up  the  rank  and  file  of  our  volunteer  army.  Edward  M. 
Schneider  was  a  soldier  in  the  57th  Massachusetts.  He  was 
the  son  of  Rev.  Mr.  Schneider,  a  well  known  American  mis- 
sionary at  Aintab.  When  th'e  regiment  was  formed,  he  was  a 
student  at  Phillips  Academ}r,  Andover,  Mass.,  and  but  little 
more  than  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  was  a  youth  of  great 
ambition,  adventurous  spirit,  and  a  tender  and  affectionate  na- 
ture. His  patriotic  feeling  was  extremely  ardent,  and  against 
the  wishes  of  his  friends,  he  resolved  upon  a  soldier's  life.  He 
was  wounded  at  the  North  Anna,  and  was  sent  to  Port  Royal 
to  be  transferred  to  a  hospital  at  Washington.  But  refusing  this, 
he  returned  to  his  regiment  at  Cold  Harbor.  Among  the  very 
first,  in  the  attack  of  the  17th  of  June,  he  was  shot  through 
the  body  and  fell  mortally  wounded.  When  told  that  there 
was  no  hope,  he  said  to  the  Chaplain  of  the  regiment :  "  It  is 
God's  will.  I  wish  you  to  write  to  my  father  and  tell  him  that 
I  have  tried  to  do  my  duty  to  my  country  and  to  my  God.  I 
have  a  good  many  friends,  schoolmates  and  companions.  They 
will  want  to  know  where  I  am  and  how  I  am  getting  on.  You 
can  let  them  know  that  I  am  gone,  and  that  I  die  content. 
And,  Chaplain,  the  boys  of  the  regiment — I  want  you  to  tell 
them  to  stand  by  the  dear  old  flag  !  And  there  is  my  brother 
in  the  navy — write  to  him  and  tell  him  to  stand  by  the  flag  and 
clino;  to  the  cross  of  Christ."*  He  lingered  in  great  pain  until 
Sunday  morning,  June  19th,  when  he  died.  He  was  one  of 
many  thousands — perhaps  the  expression  ought  to  be  hundreds 
of  thousands — to  be  found  throughout  our  entire  army  during 
the  war,  brave,  intelligent,  enthusiastic  youth,  the  sons  of 
educated  and  Christian  parents,  who  early  learned  the  lesson 
that  duty  was  more  imperative  than  affection,  and  devotion  to 
principle  of  greater  worth  than  personal  safety  and  bodily  life ! 
The  record  of  their  lives,  their  courage,  their  death,  is  an  illus- 
trious vindication  of  the  true  character  of  the  volunteer  army 
of  the  United  States. 

*  Coffin's  Four  Years  of  Fighting,  p.  366. 


1864.]  IN    FRONT    OF   PETERSBURG.  415 

But  the  greatest  loss  that  fell  upon  the  Ninth  Corps  was  the 
death  of  Major  James  St.  Clair  Morton,  chief  engineer  upon 
the  staff  of  General  Burnside.  He  was  of  a  gallant,  daring 
temperament,  and,  on  one  or  two  occasions  during  the  campaign 
had  led  in  person  charges  of  the  troops  upon  the  enemy's  in- 
trenched lines.  Always  in  the  van,  he  had  narrowly  escaped 
with  his  life  in  former  battles.  On  the  17th  of  June,  he  headed 
the  advance  of  General  Hartranft's  brigade,  and  was  killed 
while  the  troops  were  retiring  from  the  attack.  Major  Morton 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  September  24,  1829,  and  was  the 
son  of  Dr.  S.  G.  Morton,  a  distinguished  physician  of  that  city. 
He  was  appointed  to  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  graduated  in  1851,  the 
second  in  a  class  of  forty-two  members.  He  was  assigned  to 
the  Corps  of  Engineers  as  Second  Lieutenant,  July  1,  1851. 
He  was  promoted  to  Captain,  August  6,  1861,  and  to  Major, 
July  3,  1863.  On  the  29th  of  November,  1862,  he  was  com- 
missioned a  Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers,  but  preferring 
his  own  department  of  service,  he  was  mustered  out  of  this  ap- 
pointment, November  7,  1863,  and  was  remitted  to  his  former 
rank  in  the  Corps  of  Engineers. 

From  August  18,  1851,  to  May,  1852,  Lieutenant  Morton 
was  employed  in  his  corps  upon  Fort  Sumter,  and  from  May, 
1852  to  September,  1855,  upon  Fort  Delaware.  In  1856,  he 
published  "  An  Essay  on  Instruction  in  Engineering,"  and  in 
1857,  "  An  Essay  on  a  New  System  of  Fortifications."  He 
was  assistant  Professor  of  Engineering  at  West  Point  from 
September,  1855  to  June,  1857  ;  assistant  Engineer  in  con- 
struction of  fortifications  at  the  mouth  of  New  York  harbor 
from  June,  1857  to  March,  1858  ;  Engineer  of  the  third  light- 
house district  of  the  Atlantic  coast  from  March,  1858  to  July, 
1859  ;  and  Engin  eer  in  charge  of  the  Potomac  Aqueduct  from 
July,  1859  to  July,  1860.  From  the  latter  duty  he  was  re- 
lieved and  appointed  Engineer  of  the  expedition  for  the  ex- 
ploration of  the  coasts  of  Chiriqui  from  August,  1860  to  the 
subsequent  November,  when  he  returned  to  Washington.     He 


416  LAST   TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [June, 

became  the  Superintendent  of  the  fortifications  on  the  Tortu- 
gas  in  April,  1861,  and  continued  in  charge  till  March,  1862. 
While  engaged  in  the  last  named  work,  Captain  Morton  was 
prostrated  by  severe  illness,  from  which  he  did  not  recover  until 
the  spring  of  1862.  When  he  entered  into  active  service  in 
May  of  that  year,  he  was  assigned  to  the  staff  of  General  Buell 
as  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio.  In  this  position, 
he  superintended  the  erection  of  the  fortifications  about  the 
city  of  Nashville,  and  afterwards  organized  a  pioneer  and 
bridge  brigade,  which  was  found  to  be  of  the  greatest  service. 
General  Eosecrans  (who  succeeded  General  Buell)  himself  an 
engineer  of  no  small  distinction,  expressed  the  warmest  ap- 
proval both  of  this  organization  and  of  Captain  Morton's  sub- 
sequent fortification  of  Murfreesboro'  and  Chattanooga.  Speak- 
ing of  this  brigade,  General  Eosecrans,  in  his  report  of  the 
battle  of  Murfreesboro',  says  :  "  The  efficiency  and  esprit  de 
corps  suddenly  developed  in  this  command,  its  gallant  behavior 
in  action,  and  the  eminent  service  it  is  continually  rendering  the 
army,  entitle  both  officers  and  men  to  special  public  notice  and 
thanks,  while  they  reflect  the  highest  credit  on  the  distinguished 
ability  and  capacity  of  Captain  Morton,  who  will  do  honor  to 
his  promotion  to  a  Brigadier  General."  Promoted  to  Brigadier 
General  of  Volunteers,  he  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Chick- 
amauga,  where  he  was  wounded. 

In  October,  1863,  Major  Morton  was  relieved  of  his  appoint- 
ment on  the  staff  of  General  Eosecrans,  and  soon  after  the  re- 
organization of  the  Ninth  Corps,  he  was  appointed  its  Chief 
Engineer,  very  greatly  to  the  satisfaction  of  General  Burnside. 
Always  prompt,  energetic  and  trustworthy,  he  was  conspicu- 
ous in  every  operation  of  the  arduous  campaign.  General 
Burnside  was  strongly  attached  to  him,  having  learned  to  hold 
his  abilities  in  the  highest  estimation,  and  to  depend  upon  him 
as  one  of  his  best,  most  intelligent  and  most  reliable  advisers. 
The  other  officers  of  the  corps  looked  upon  him  as  a  gallant 
and  skilful  soldier.  His  death  was  keenly  felt  by  all  who  had 
known  him  as  a  brilliant  officer  and   a  generous   and  genial 


1864.]  IN   FRONT   OF   PETERSBURG.  417 

friend.     General  Parke  wrote  of  his  deceased  comrade  in  term 
of  warm  and  hearty  commendation  : — From  the  date  of  his  a' 
pointment  to  the  corps,  May  18th,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  M 
jor  Morton  "  performed  the  arduous  and  dangerous  duties 
his  position  with  an  activity,  zeal  and  ability  which  often  call 
forth  the  praise  of  his  commanding  general.     He  was  noted 
the  Corps  for  his  personal  gallantry,  and  in  the  attack  at  t' 
North  Anna  he  took  a  conspicuous  part,  narrowly  escapi 
death.     On  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  June,  he  received 
ders  from  General  Burnside  to  place  the  troops  making 
assault  in  their  proper  position,  and  to  direct  at  what  p 
they  should  strike  the  enemy's  works.     When  this  had  ' 
accomplished,  feeling  deeply  interested  in  the  success  c 
movement,  he  went  forward  with  General  Hartranft. 
the  attack  failed,  he  was  retiring  with  the  troops  when  1 
struck  in  the  breast  by  a  rifle  ball  and  mortally  wounded- 
tain  Shadley  immediately  went  to  him,  but  I  believe  he  i 
without  a  word.     In  his  death,  this  Corps  and  his  couv 
a  valuable  officer,  and  his   memory   will   long  be    tot 
amone  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  knoise 
Major  Morton's  contributions  to  military  literatun  di- 
pecially  valuable,  and  were  the  result  of  elo.-e  study  ;eral 
experience.     He  was  a  vigorous  writer,  an  origirwitb 
and  an  accomplished  scholar  in  the  special  departmtht  be 
he  had  devoted  his  time  and  thought.     Major  Mc'leas- 
was  sent  to  his  afflicted  family  in  Philadelphia,  ^  com- 
priate  honors  were  paid  to  his  heroic  memory.       ldiers, 


53 


118  LAST   YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JUNE, 


CHAP  TEE    V 


THE   MINE. 


I  HE  experience  of  the  army  in  front  of  Petersburg  in- 
duced General  Grant  to  believe   that  the  place  could 
be  reduced  by  the  slow  process  of  a  siege.     He  therefore 
pd  to  place  the  army  of  the  James  on  the  north  and  the 
siof  the  Potomac  on  the  south  side  of  the  James  river, 
in  ;his  way  invest  both  Petersburg  and  Bichmond.     Par- 
ba  re  accordingly  laid  out,  traverses  and  covered  ways 
coi  nches  opened,  earthworks  of  various  sizes  thrown  up 
in  !  d,  and  all  the  different  operations  of  a  siege  fairly  en- 
arm  i-     On  the  line  which  the  Ninth  Corps  occupied  were 
thai  ies  of  two  guns,  one  of  four,  one  of  six,  two  of  eight, 
abili;  centre,  one  of  fourteen   guns.     Besides  these  were 
his  yvir  batteries.'     General  Grant  fixed  his  headquarters 
Qen&Qt.     Our  lines  extended  from  across  the  Jerusalem 
amau<  in  front  of  Petersburg  to  Deep  Bottom,  crossing 
Xn  (--ttox  and  the  James  by  means  of  ponton  bridges, 
ment  o  ^s0  beld  at  White  House,  and  the  York  and  Pa- 
oro'aniz  i  were  patrolled  by  gunboats. 
Eno-inef  nade  one  or  two  attempts  during  the  summer  to 
Always  s  m  other  quarters,  at  one  time  pushing  a  con- 
ous  in       m*°    Pennsylvania   and  Maryland,   and    even 
Burnsidi  Stevens,  on  the  north  side  of  the  city  of  Wash- 
his  abilit  irty  reached  the  Philadelphia,  Wilmington  and 
as  one  of  oac^'  cu*  ^e  telegraph  wire  and  destroyed  a 
The  othe  i<%e-     Another  party  burned   CHambersburg. 
and  skilf  -Ovements   were   insufficient  to  make   General 
known  h  n^s  n°W*     The  aggressive  forces   were  swept 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  41 

away  from  the  Capital,  and  General  Lee  found,  before  the 
mer  had  passed,  that  he  could,  by  no  exertion  of  his,  1 
the  gripe  which  General  Grant  had  fixed  upon  the   a1 
Northern  Virginia,  the  rebel  capital,  and  the  fortunes 
"  Southern  Confederacy."    An  investment  had  been  es-* 
which  would  not  be  raised  until  its  object  had  beenre 
complished — the  suppression  of  the  rebellion.  .ots. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  the  colored  division  of  thci  hard 
reported  to  General  Meade,  and  was  at  oiyiid  sought 
own  proper  organization.     General  Ferrero  hof  logs  and 
from  his  brother  officers  of  the  Corps  since  tes,  endeav- 
Rapidan,  and  was  now  glad'  to  renew  his  Aemy's  fire, 
once  more  under  the  orders  of  his  chief.     I*  almost  con- 
the  division  had  been  occupied  in  guardi 
army — a  necessary  work,  indeed,  but  so^   occupied,  the 
and  especially  lacking  in  that  excitemeated  a  few  hun- 
the  glory  of  the  soldier's  life.     On  the  6j},"     In  the  rear 
had  been   separated  from  the   Ninth  Cio-ht   angles  with 
cessively  under  the  orders  of  Generals  ^  to  be  a  domina- 
until  the  17th.     Then  General  Ferrer^y  threaten,  if  not 
command  of  the  Lieutenant  General  h^  possible  to  devise 
ration  of  the  Ninth  Corps  with  the  Am  an  enterprise  di- 
the  9th,  General  Ferrero's  command  n   officer  in  General 
regiments  of  cavalry — the  5th  Nev  ,e  whole  ground  with 
and  the  2d  Ohio.     These  troops  jny's  redoubt  might  be 
10th  of  June,  when  the  cavalv^t  Colonel  Henry  Pleas- 
command  of  General  Sherida-  regiment  which  was  com- 
the  17th,  the  fourth  divisiorIvlkill  county.     The  soldiers, 
toward  the  old  Wildernese  ^ted  over  the  subject,  and,  at 
of  the  army,  extending    '^e  matter  as  to  believe  in  the 
On  the  17th,  the  divis'e  under  the  intervening  space  be- 
main  road  to  Frede^  CorpS  and  the  enemy,  with  the  de- 
19th,  it  was  drawn imediately  beneath  the  fort  opposite, 
attack  made  by  £ed  was  a  little  over  five  hundred  feet, 
well  against  the^^^g  was  himself  an  experienced  and 

The  remain* 


'0  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JUNE, 

<-18 

xf  rejoining  the  corps,  is  simply  that  of  the  movement  of 

ains.     On  the  21st  of  May,  the  command  was  covering 

ricksburg  and  the  roads  leading  thence  to  Bowling  Green. 

22d,  it  marched  towards  Bowling  Green,  and  on  the 

"•ovedto  Milford  Station.     From  that  date  to  the  27th, 

^d  the  trains  of  the  army  in  the  rear  of  the  position 

•th  Anna.     On  the  27th,  the  division  moved  to  New- 

e  28th,  to  Dunkirk,  crossing  the  Mattapony ;  on 

Pamunkey,  near  Hanovertown.     On  the  1st 

s  crossed  the  Pamunkey,  and  from  the  2d  to 

1HE  experiencehe  right  of  the  army.     From  the  6th  to  the 

duced  Genesd    the  approaches  from   New  Castle   ferry, 

he  reduced  by  t:ves's  Shop  and  Bethesda  Church.     From 

pd  to  place  the  sh,  they  moved  by  easy  stages  by  way  of 

s>of  the  Potomac  \t  sCourt    House,   Cole's   ferry,  and    the 

iri  ;his  way  invest  bhe  James,  to  the  lines  of  the  army  near 

ba  re  accordingly  hounted  cavalry  were  left  to  guard  the 

coi  iches  opened,  eadivision  prepared  to  participate  in  the 

in  fd,  and  all  the  dii'diers.     Through  the  remainder  of  the 

armi-     On  the  line  vmost  of  July,  the  troops  were  occupied 

that  ies  of  two  guns,  tches,  and  in  active  movements  towards 

abilii  centre,  one  of  ftHancock  and  Warren.     While  they 

his  pJ-r  batteries.'     Gemches,  they  were  also  drilled  in  the 

Gene^t.     Our  lines  exm  attack  and  occupation  of  the  ene- 

amaut  in  front  of  Petershng   of  pride  and  esprit  cie  corps 

In  (ttox  and  the  James"*  f  the  blacks,  and  they  began  to 

ment  o/dso  held  at  White  feave  the  opportunity  of  winning 

organic  '  were  patrolled  by  o-uiir  country. 

Engines  nade  one  or  two  attemp§oldiers,   D°th  m  the   eigh- 

Always  s  in  other  quarters,  at  one3^    to  nave    the  effect  of 

ous  in   •    into   Pennsylvania  and  JVjhan  ever.      Before  the 

Burnsidf  Stevens,  on  the  north  side  of"  unes  on  tfle  ^ront  °*" 

his  abilit  irty  reached  the  Philadelphia,  \  imperative,  and  no 

as  one  of  oad,  cut  the  telegraph  wire  an een  tne  °PPosmg 

The  othe  ldge-     Another  party  burned   Ch;1*'  tJlis  Practice 

and  skilf  -ovements  were  insufficient  to  ma$h  corPs'  uPon 

known  b  ms  bold.     The  aggressive  forces   we. 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  421 

the  left  of  our  line,  there  was  little  or  no  picket  firing,  and  the 
outposts  of  both  armies  were  even  disposed  to  be  friendly,  on 
the  front  of  the  Ninth,  the  firing  was  incessant,  and  in  many 
cases  fatal.  •  General  Potter  in  his  report  mentions  that,  when 
his  division  occupied  the  front  lines,  his  losses  averaged  "  some 
fourteen  or  fifteen  officers  and  men  killed  and  wounded  per  diem." 
The  sharpshooters  on  either  side  were  vigilant,  and  an  exposure 
of  any  part  of  the  person  was  the  signal  for  an  exchange  of  shots. 
The  men,  worn  by  hard  marching,  hard  fighting  and  hard 
.digging,  took  every  precaution  to  shield  themselves  and  sought 
cover  at  every  opportunity.  They  made  fire  proofs  of  logs  and 
earth,  and,  with  tortuous  covered  ways  and  traverses,  endeav- 
ored to  secure  themselves  from  the  effects  of  the  enemy's  fire. 
The  artillery  and  mortars  on  both  sides  were  kept  almost  con- 
stantly at  work. 

Opposite  the  salient  which  the  Ninth  Corps  occupied,  the 
enemy  had  constructed  a  strong  redoubt,  situated  a  few  hun- 
dred yai'ds  below  the  crest  of  "  Cemetery  Hill."  In  the  rear 
of  the  redoubt,  a  ridge  ran  back  nearly  at  right  angles  with 
the  enemy's  line,  to  the  hill.  This  appeared  to  be  a  domina- 
ting position,  and  would,  if  carried,  seriously  threaten,  if  not 
entirely  break  up  the  enemy's  lines.  Was  it  possible  to  devise 
some  bold  plan,  which  promised  success  in  an  enterprise  di- 
rected against  this  important  point  ?  An  officer  in  General 
Potter's  division,  who  had  looked  over  the  whole  ground  with 
a  professional  eye,  thought  that  the  enemy's  redoubt  might  be 
destroyed.  That  officer  was  Lieutenant  Colonel  Henry  Pleas- 
ants, of  the  48th  Pennsylvania — a  regiment  which  was  com- 
posed chiefly  of  miners  from  Schuylkill  county.  The  soldiers, 
around  their  camp  fires,  had  talked  over  the  subject,  and,  at 
last,  became  so  interested  in  the  matter  as  to  believe  in  the 
feasibility  'of  running  a  mine  under  the  intervening  space  be- 
tween the  line  of  the  Ninth  Corps  and  the  enemy,  with  the  de- 
sign of  exploding  it  immediately  beneath  the  fort  opposite. 
The  distance  to  be  mined  was  a  little  over  five  hundred  feet. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Pleasants  was  himself  an  experienced  and 


422  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [June, 

• 

skilful  mining  engineer,  arid,  upon  hearing  the  suggestion,  con- 
sulted General  Potter  upon  the  subject.  General  Potter,  on 
the  24-th  of  June,  laid  the  matter  before  General  Burnside 
who,  after  further  consultation,  directed  that  the  \tork  be  com- 
menced, and  informed  General  Meade  accordingly.  The  com- 
manding general,  however,  was  not  favorably  disposed  towards 
such  a  plan.  He  did  not  consider  the  "  location  of  the  mine  a 
proper  one,r'  as  the  point  to  be  assaulted  was  commanded  on 
both  flanks  by  the  enemy.  Major  J.  C.  Duane,  Chief  En- 
gineer, also  expressed  an  opinion  not  only  unfavorable  to  the. 
success  of  any  such  operation  as  General  Burnside  contem- 
plated, but  also  somewhat  derisive  of  its  practicability.  Yet 
with  this  opinion  in  mind,  General  Meade  gave  his  official 
sanction  to  the  continuance  of  the  work,  and  expressed  the  hope 
that  it  "  might  at  some  time  result  in  forming  an  important 
part  in  the  operations  "  of  the  army.  Having  thus  secured  the 
reluctant  authority  of  the  commanding  general,  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Pleasants  proceeded  Avith  his  task.  He  commenced 
work  at  twelve  o'clock  meridian,  on  the  25th  of  June. 

At  headquarters,  the  design  of  an  assault  was  still  enter- 
tained. General  G*ant  could  hardly  endure  the  long  delays  of 
the  necessary  siege,  and  watched  his  opportunity  for  .a  coup  de 
main.  Meanwhile,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Pleasants  and  men 
wrought  with  such  earnestness  and  perseverance  thst,  by  the 
2od  day  of  July,  a  main  gallery  of  five  hundred  and  ten  and 
eio'ht-tenths  feet  in  length  was  constructed,  with  two  lateral 
galleries  at  the  further  end,  one  of  thirty-seven,  the  other  of 
thirty-eight  feet  in  length.  The  fact  was  reported  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Agreeably  to  General 
Burnside's  plan,  four  magazines  were  to  be  placed  in  each  of 
these  lateral  galleries,  to  be  established  at  intervals  equidistant 
from  each  other,  two  upon  each  side  of  the  gallery,  and  to  be 
charged  with  about  half  or  three-fifths  of  a  ton  of  powder 
each.  The  magazines  were  to  be  connected  by  troughs  of 
powder  with  each  other  and  with  the  main  gallery,  five  or  six 
fuses  and  two  wires  were  to  be  run  out  to  the  mouth  of  the 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  423 

mine,  there  to  be  fired — the  fuses  in  the  ordinary  way,  the 
wires  to  be  charged  by  a  galvanic  battery.  It  was  supposed 
by  General  Burnside  that  these  preparations  would  insure  the 
explosion  of  the  mine  at  the  appointed  moment,  and  he  accord- 
ingly made  his  requisitions  upon  the  proper  officers  for  the 
needful  supplies.  After  some  delay,  the  powder  for  furnishing 
the  magazines — about  eight  thousand  pounds — was  forwarded, 
and  the  ten  days  following  the  18th  were  occupied  in  strength- 
ening the  mine  and  charging  the  magazines.  The  powder  was 
put  into  the  magazines  on  the  27th  of  July,  three  lines  of  fuses 
were  laid  for  a  distance  of  ninety-eight  feet,  and  the  mine  was 
tamped  during  the  night  of  the  27th  and  through  the  day  on 
the  28th- — the  work  ending  at  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Pleasants's  account  of  the  construction 
of  his  mine,  as  given  in  his  report,  is  very  interesting.  It 
seems  that  no  general  officers  encouraged  the  work  but  Gene- 
rals  Burnside  and  Potter.  He  was  obliged  to  carry  out  the 
earth  in  cracker  boxes,  and  to  cut  down  bushes  to  cover  it  from 
the  sight  of  the  enemy.  He  could  not  obtain  a  theodolite  with- 
out sending  to  Washington,  although  there  was  a  very  good 
one  at  the  headquarters  of  the  Army.  The  excavation  was 
ventilated  by  means  of  a  tube  made  of  lumber  picked  up  about 
the  camps  or  taken  from  a  rebel  bridge  and  a  saw  mill,  some 
five  or  six  miles  distant.  The  ground  through  which  the  mine 
was  dug  was  in  some  places  very  wet  and  difficult  to  work. 
At  one  time,  the  timber  gave  way,  and  the  gallery  was  nearly 
closed.  When  this  was  repaired  and  the  work  was  carried 
forward,  the  soldiers  were  obliged  to  excavate  a  stratum  of 
marl  very  hard  to  manage.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Pleasants  then 
ran  an  inclined  plane  rising  thirteen  and  a  half  feet  in  a  hun- 
dred. The  timbers  to  prop  the  mine  were  previously  prepared 
and  were  put  up  by  hand  without  noise  of  hammer  or  tool.  The 
picks  were  the  common  army  picks  straightened  for  use.  The 
mine  was  thus  built  in  less  than  one  month  after  the  beginning 
was  made.  The  whokB  amount  of  material  excavated  .was 
eighteen  thousand  cubic  feet.     The  magazines  were  placed  ex- 


424  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JULY, 

actly  underneath  the  enemy's  fort.  The  enemy  had  already 
suspected  the  existence  of  the  work  somewhere  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  our  operations,  and  began  to  countermine.  The 
soldiers  below  could  hear  the  soldiers  above  at  their  daily  drill 
and  work. 

Everything  thus  far  wore  a  promising  aspect.  But  just  here 
an  omission  was  made  which  came  nigh  beino;  fatal  to  the  whole 
enterprise.  No  adequate  fuses  were  supplied.  No  wires  at 
all  were  furnished.  The  fuses  that  were  expected  to  explode 
a  mine  five  hundred  feet  in  length  were  sent  in  parts  and 
pieces — some  of  them  but  ten  feet  long — and  the  only  materials 
that  could  be  obtained  to  splice  the  pieces  were  some  old 
blankets.  It  was  evident  that  the  plan  was  meeting  with  but 
little  approbation  at  headquarters,  and  it  might  be  surmised  by 
an  ordinary  observer,  that  a  failure  of  the  attempt  instead  of 
its  success  was  to  be  expected,  as  a  justification  of  the  adverse 
opinion  which  had  already  been  expressed  respecting  the  un- 
dertaking. 

During  this  time,  the  remainder  of  the  army  was  not  suf- 
fered to  remain  idle.  Frequent  demonstrations  and  attacks 
were  made  on  both  sides  of  the  James,  with  the  double  pur- 
pose of  harassing  the  enemy  and  of  prolonging  our  lines'of  cir- 
cumvallation.  General  Grant,  possibly  disturbed  from  his 
accustomed  equanimity  by  the  enemy's  unexpected  persistence 
in  defence,  and  apparently  impatient  for  action,  consulted  Gen- 
eral Meade,  early  in  July,  as  to  the  practicability  of  an  assault. 
General  Meade  addressed  a  letter  to  his  corps  commanders  on 
the  subject.  In  addressing  General  Burnside,  on  the  3d  of 
July,  he  desired  an  expression  of  opinion  as  to  the  feasibility 
of  an  assault  at  any  point  in  front  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  to  be 
made  by  the  second  and  sixth  in  conjunction  with  the  Ninth. 
General  Burnside  replied  on  the  same  day,  that  if  the  question 
was  between  making  an  immediate  assault  and  a  change  of  ope- 
rations, he  was  in  favor  of  attacking  then.  If  the  siege  was  to 
continue,  he  thought  it  best  to  wait  until  the  mine  was  finished. 
Then  he  added  these  words  :     "If  the  assault  be  made  now  I 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  425 

think  we  have  a  fair  chance  of  success,  provided  my  Corps  can 
make  the  attack,  and  it  is  left  to  me  to  say  when  and  how  the 
other  two  corps  shall  come  in  to  my  support."  General  Meade 
saw  fit  to  interpret  this  language  as  a  reflection  upon  his  skill 
and  ability  in  commanding  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  replied 
as  follows  :  "  Should  it  be  determined  to  employ  the  army 
under  my  command  in  offensive  operations  on  your  front,  I 
shall  exercise  the  prerogative  of  my  position  to  control  and  di- 
rect the  same,  receiving,  gladly,  at  all  times  such  suggestions 
as  you  may  think  proper  to  make."  Then  he  added :  "  I  con- 
sider these  remarks  necessary  in  consequence  of  certain  condi- 
tions which  you  have  thought  proper  to  attach  to  your  opinion, 
acceding  to  which  in  advance  would  not,  in  my  judgment,  be 
consistent  with  my  position  as  commanding  general  of  this 
army." 

General  Burnside  was  amazed  that  General  Meade  should 
put  such  a  construction  upon  language  so  innocent  as  that 
which  had  been  used.  He  accordingly  hastened  to  remove 
the  impression  which  had  been  made  upon  the  mind  of  his 
commanding  officer.  On  the  4th  of  July,  he  wrote  to  General 
Meade  in  the  following  terms  :  "  I  assure  you  in  all  candor, 
that  I  never  dreamed  of  implying  any  lack  of  confidence  in 
your  ability  to  do  all  that  is  necessary  in  any  grand  movement, 
which  may  be  undertaken  by  your  army.  Were  you  to  per- 
sonally direct  an  attack  from  my  front,  I  would  feel  the  utmost 
confidence  ;  and  were  I  called  upon  to  support  an  attack  from 
the  front  of  the  second  or  sixth  corps,  directed  by  yourself,  or 
by  either  of  the  commanders  of  these  corps,  I  would  do  it  with 
confidence  and  cheerfulness.  It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to 
say,  that  I  have  had  the  utmost  faith  in  your  ability  to  handle 
troops,  ever  since  my  acquaintance  with  you  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  certainly  accord  to  you  a  much  higher  position  in 
the  art  of  war  than  I  possess  ;  and  I,  at  the  same  time,  enter- 
tain the  greatest  respect  for  the  skill  of  the  two  gentlemen 
commanding  the  second  and  sixth  army  corps.  My  duty  to 
the  country,  to  you,  and  to  myself,  forbids  that  I  should  for  a 

54 


426  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [July, 

moment  assume  to  embarrass  you  or  them,  by  an  assumption 
of  position  or  authority.  I  simply  desired  to  ask  the  privi- 
lege of  calling  upon  them  for  support  at  such  times,  and  at 
such  points,  as  I  thought  advisable.  I  would  gladly  accord  to 
either  of  them  the  same  support  and  would  be  glad  to  have 
either  of  them  lead  the  attack,  but  it  would  have  been  obviously 
improper  for  me  to  have  suggested  that  any  other  corps  than 
my  own  should  make  the  attack  in  my  front.  What  I  asked 
in  reference  to  calling  upon  the  other  corps  for  support,  is  only 
what  I  have  been  called  upon  to  do,  and  have  cheerfully  done 
myself,  in  regard  to  other  corps  commanders."  Gener  al  Meade, 
particularly  sensitive  in  regard  to  every  punctilio  of  position 
and  rank,  could  not  appreciate  the  generous  nature  of  the  man 
whom  he  had  thus  unjustly  suspected  ;  and  was  not  disposed  to 
regard  with  complete  satisfaction  the  success  of  General  Burn- 
side's  operations.  Yet  he  seemed  to  be  somewhat  ashamed  of 
the  illiberal  construction  which  he  had  put  upon  his  corps 
commander's  words,  and  in  his  reply  he  wrote  :  "I  am  glad 
to  find  that  there  was  no  intention  on  your  part  to  ask  for  any 
more  authority  and  command  than  you  have  a  perfect  right  to 
expect  under  existing  circumstances.  I  did  not  infer  that  you 
had  anv  want  of  confidence  in  me.  I  am  very  grateful  for 
your  good  opinion  as  expressed,  and  shall  earnestly  try  to  merit 
its  continuance."  Notwithstanding  this  disclaimer,  it  became 
evident,  from  subsequent  events,  that  General  Meade  had  not 
forgotten  the  correspondence. 

On  the  26th,  General  Meade  called  upon  General  Burnside 
for  a  detailed  statement  of  his  plan  of  attack.  General  Burn- 
siee  immediately  submitted  it.  "My  plan  would  be,"  he 
writes,  "  to  explode  the  mine  just  before  daylight  in  the  morn- 
ing, or  at  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Mass  the  two 
brigades  of  the  colored  division  in .  rear  of  my  first  line,  in 
columns  of  division — '  double  columns  closed  in  mass,'  '  the 
head  of  each  brigade  resting  on  the  front  line,' — and  as  soon  as 
the  explosion  has  taken  place,  move  them  forward  with  instruc- 
tions for  the  division  to  take  half-distance.     As  soon  as  the  lead- 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  427 

ing  regiments  of  the  two  brigades  pass  through  the  gap  in  the 
enemy's  line,  the  leading  regiment  of  the  right  brigade  should 
come  into  line  perpendicular  to  the  enemy's  line  by  the  '  right 
companies  on  the  right  into  line,  wheel,'  the  '  left  companies 
on  the  right  into  line,'  and  proceed  at  once  down  the  line  of  the 
enemy's  works  as  rapidly  as  possible  ;  and  the  leading  regiment 
of  the  left  brigade  to  execute  the  reverse  movement  to  the  left, 
moving  up  the  enemy's  line.  The  remainder  of  the  columns 
to  move  directly  towards  the  crest  in  front  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
diverging  in  such  a  way  as  to  enable  them  to  deploy  into 
columns  of  regiments,  the  right  column  making  as  nearly  as 
possible  for  Cemetery  Hill.  These  columns  to  be  followed  by 
the  other  divisions  of  this  Corps  as  soon  as  they  can  be  thrown 
in.  This  would  involve  the  necessity  of  relieving  these  divi- 
sions by  other  troops  before  the  movement  and  of  holding 
columns  of  other  troops  in  readiness  to  take  our  place  on  the 
crest  in  case  we  gain  it  and  sweep  down  it.  It  would,  in  my 
opinion,  be  advisable,  if  we  succeed  in  gaining  the  crest,  to 
throw  the  colored  division  right  into  the  town.  There  is  a 
necessity  of  the  cooperation,  at  least  in  the  way  of  artillery,  of 
the  troops  on  our  right  and  left.  Of  the  extent  of  this  you  will 
necessarily  be  the  judge." 

This  plan  in  brief  was,  to  form  two  columns  and  to  charge 
with  them  through  the  breach  caused  by  the  explosion  of  the 
mine,  then  to  sweep  along  the  enemy's  line  right  and  left,  clear- 
ing away  the  artillery  and  infantry  by  attacking  in  the  flank 
and  rear — other  columns  to  make  for  the  crest,  and  the  rest  of 
the  Army  to  cooperate.  In  accordance  with  this  plan,  Gen- 
eral Ferrero,  in  command  of  the  colored  division,  was  instruct- 
ed, that  he  would  be  required  to  lead  the  attack  when  it  should 
be  ordered,  and  he  was  directed  to  drill  his  troops  accordingly. 
He  examined  the  ground  and  decided  upon  his  methods  of 
advance,  which  were  not  to  go  directly  into  the  crater  formed 
by  the  explosion,  but  rather  upon  one  side  of  it ;  and  then  to 
take  the  enemy  in  flank  and  reverse.  He  informed  his  officers 
and  men  that  they  would  be  called  upon  to  make  an  important 


428  LAST   TEAR   OF  THE   REBELLION.  [July, 

assault  and  proceeded  to  drill  his  division,  with  a  view  to  fami- 
liarizing the  troops  with  the  work,  which  they  were  expected 
to  perform.  For  three  weeks,  in  intervals  of  other  duty,  they 
were  carefully  trained  in  the  various  movements,  the  charging 
upon  earthworks,  the  wheeling  by  the  right  and  left,  the  de- 
ployment and  other  details  of  the  expected  operation.  The 
intelligence  was  received  with  delight.  The  drill  was  per- 
formed with  alacrity.  The  soldiers  of  the  colored  division, 
desirous  of  emulating  their  brethren  of  the  eighteenth  corps  in 
the  army  of  the  James,  felt  that  the  hour,  which  they  had  long 
expected,  had  now  come,  or  was  fast  approaching.  They 
would  gain  a  name  and  a  position  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
Selected  for  the  assault,  they  would  show  themselves  worthy 
of  the  honor.  They  would  wipe  off  whatever  reproach  an  ill- 
judged  prejudice  might  have  cast  upon  them,  and  would  prove 
themselves  brave  men,  demanding  the  respect  which  brave  men 
deserve. 

There  were  two  reasons  which  influenced  General  Burn- 
side  in  his  choice  of  the  storming  party.  He  had  early  ex- 
pressed his  confidence  in  the  soldierly  capabilities  of  colored 
men,  and  he  now  wished  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  justify 
his  good  opinion.  His  white  troops  moreover  had  been  great- 
ly exposed  through  the  whole  campaign,  had  suffered  severely 
and  had  been  so  much  under  the  fire  of  the  sharpshooters,  that 
"  it  had  become  a  second  nature  with  them  to  doda;e  a  bullet."* 
The  colored  troops  had  not  been  so  much  exposed,  and  had 
already  shown  their  steadiness  under  fire,  in  one  or  two  pretty 
severe  skirmishes  in  which  they  had  previously  been  engaged. 
General  Burnside  hoped  much  from  them,  and  would  not  have 
been  disappointed  had  he  been  allowed  to  carry  out  his  plan  of 
attack.  There  was  still  another  reason  for  the  inefficiency  of 
the  white  troops.  They  were  fairly  exhausted  with  uninter- 
mitted  marching,  fighting  and  skirmishing.  The  Ninth  Corps 
had  had  no  rest  from  the  start,  but  had  been  subjected  to  un- 

*General  Ferrero's  testimony  before  Committee  on  Conduct  of  the  "War. 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  429 

ceasing  labor  in  most  perilous  positions.  Armies  are  not  mere 
machines.  They  are  composed  of  ordinary  flesh  and  blood. 
General  Burnside  wished  to  use  his  freshest  troops. 

On  the  24th,  General  Grant  again  desired  that  an  attempt 
should  be  made  to  assault  the  enemy's  lines  at  some  point,  but 
was  finally  persuaded  by  General  Meade  to  wait  for  a  few  days 
for  a  more  favorable  opportunity.  On  the  26th  General  Burn- 
side's  plan  of  attack  was  presented.  By  this  time  General 
Meade  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  larger  results  were  to 
be  expected  from  the  mine  than  he  had  at  first  supposed.  Now 
he  had  cause  to  think,  "  that  the  explosion  of  the  mine  and  the 
subsequent  assault  on  the  crest  would  be  successful,  and  would 
be  followed  by  results,  which  would  have  consisted  in  the  cap- 
ture of  the  whole  of  the  enemy's  artillery  and  a  greater  part  of 
his  infantry."*  All  that  was  necessary  for  him  to  do  therefore 
was,  to  approve  General  Burnside's  plan  of  attack,  to  order 
the  cooperation  of  the  other  corps,  to  repair  to  the  front  to  take 
command  of  the  entire  army  in  person,  and  reap  the  harvest  of 
glory,  which  his  subordinates  had  so  carefully  prepared  for  his 
ingathering.  Yet  he  did  not  approve  General  Burnside's  plan, 
or  choose  to  adopt  this  plain  course.  Why  he  did  not  it  is 
impossible  to  say.  Was  it  because  he  did  not  wish  that  the 
anticipated  success  might  be  the  result  of  another's  combina- 
tions, but  rather  desired  that  it  should  come  from  some  original 
design  of  his  own  ?  Or  did  he  have  some  prejudice  against  the 
capacity  of  colored  troops  ?  Or  was  he  determined  not  to  allow 
General  Burnside  any  discretion  in  the  matter,  but  to  make 
manifest  the  supreme  authority  of  the  commanding  general  of 
an  army  ?  The  reason  which  General  Meade  gave  before  the 
Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  for  his  rejection  of 
General  Burnside's  plan,  was  that  "  as  this  was  an  operation 
which  I  knew  beforehand  was  one  requiring  the  very  best 
troops,  I  thought  it  impolitic  to  trust  it  to  a  division  of  whose 
reliability  we  had  no  evidence."     The  commander  of  an  army 

*G-eneral  Meade's  Testimony  before  Committee  on  Conduct  of  War,  in  Attack 
on  Petersburg,  p.  52. 


430  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [July, 

must  of  necessity  judge  of  the  reliability  of  his  troops.  If  he 
does  not  consider  them  able  or  trustworthy,  it  is  his  duty  to 
keep  them  out  of  action.  Yet  the  immediate  commander  of  a 
corps  or  of  a  division  is  presumed  to  know  the  capabilities  of 
his  soldiers  better  than  an  officer  further  removed  from  them. 
If  General  Burnside  was  willing  to  trust  his  colored  division, 
it  would  seem  like  a  reflection  upon  his  good  judgment  to  dis- 
approve his  opinion.  Whatever  might  have  been  the  motives 
of  General  Meade,  the  fact  remains  that  he  did  not  agree  with 
General  Burnside's  views  upon  the  subject,  and  changed  the 
entire  plan  of  operations  at  so  late  an  hour  as  to  make  a  remedy 
for  its  derangement  almost  wholly  impracticable. 

On  the  28th  General  Meade  had  an  interview  with  General 
Burnside,  in  which  the  whole  subject  was  discussed.  General 
Meade  urged  that  the  colored  troops  were  not  so  reliable  for 
such  an  assault  as  was  contemplated,  as  the  white  troops  of  the 
JNlnth  Corps.  The  operation  was  to  be  a  coup  de  main,  the 
assaulting  column  was  to.  be  as  a  forlorn  hope,  such  as  are  put 
in  breaches,  and  the  assault  ought  to  be  made  with  the  best 
troops.  General  Burnside  argued — in  accordance  with  what 
has  already  been  stated — that  his  white  troops  were  not  in  pro- 
per condition  to  head  an  attack  of  the  kind.  They  had  been 
exposed  for  forty  days  to  a  ceaseless  fire  and  had  acquired  the 
habit  of  sheltering  themselves  from  the  enemy's  missiles. 
Moreover,  they  were  worn  down  by  excessive  labor,  watchings 
and  cares.  Their  officers  had  not  expected  to  make  an  assault — 
knowing  that  the  colored  division  had  been  selected  for  that 
purpose — and  had  not  examined  the  ground.  The  colored 
troops  on  the  contrary  were  fresh  and  strong,  their  ranks  full, 
their  morale  unexceptionable,  and  their  spirits  elated  by  the 
thought  of  the  approaching  conflict.  They  had  been  drilled 
with  especial  reference  to  this  very  movement,  and  their  officers 
were  conversant  with  all  its  details,  the  ground  to  be  traversed, 
and  the  work  to  be  done.  General  Meade  could  not  be  turned 
from  his  purpose  of  changing  the  order  of  assault,  but  finally 
agreed  to  submit  the  matter  to  General  Grant.     That  officer 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  431 

concurred  with  General  Meade,  having  had  no  opportunity  of 
hearing  the  other  side  of  the  case  presented  by  General  Burn- 
side  in  person.* 

The  colored  troops  were  ruled  out — very  much  to  the  disap- 
pointment of  themselves,  their  own  commander,  and  General 
Burnside.  The  decision  was  made  known  to  General  Burnside 
not  far  from  noon  on  the  29th.  General  Meade  at  the  same  time 
called  at  General  Burnside's  headquarters,  where  he  met  the 
three  commanders  of  the  white  divisions  of  the  Ninth  Corps. 
On  the  day  previous,  he  had  told  General  Burnside  at  an  inter- 
view which  .the  two  officers  had  at  General  Meade's  headquar- 
ters, that  he  did  not  approve  the  order  of  the  formation  of  the 
attacking  column,  "  because,"  as  General  Burnside  testifies, 
"  he  was  satisfied  that  we  would  not  be  able,  in  the  face  of  the 
enemy,  to  make  the  movements  which  were  contemplated,  to 
the  right  and  left ;  and  that  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  the 
troops  should  move  directly  to  the  crest  without  attempting 
these  side  movements."  On  the  occasion  of  the  interview  with 
the  division  commanders  on  the  29th,  General  Meade  declared, 
that  "  there  were  two  things  to  be  done,  namely,  that  we  should 
go  up  promptly  and  take  the  crest."  General  Meade  seemed 
to  have  but  one  plan  of  action.  That  was  to  "  rush  for  the 
crest."  These  words  he  repeated  in  more  than  one  order  on 
the  day  of  battle.  "  Don't  lose  time  in  making  formations," 
he  said,  "  but  rush  for  the  crest." 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  little  discrepancy  in  General 
Meade's  recollection  of  the  discussion  which  took  place  respect- 
ing General  Burnside's  formation  of  the  assaulting  column.  As 

*General  Grant  in  his  testimony  before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the 
War  had  the  frankness  to  say,  that  "  General  Burnside  wanted  to  put  his  col- 
ored division  in  front,  and  I  believe  if  he  had  done  so  it  would  have  been  a  success . 
Still,  I  agreed  with  General  Meade  in  his  objection  to  that  plan.  General  Meade 
said,  that  if  we  put  the  colored  troops  in  front,  and  it  should  prove  a  failure,  it 
would  then  be  said,  and  very  properly,  that  we  were  shoving  those  people 
ahead  to  get  killed  because  we  did  not  care  anything  about  them.  But  that 
could  not  be  said,  if  we  put  white  troops  in  front."  It  is  to  be  observed,  how- 
ever, that  General  Meade  gave  a  different  reason  from  that  to  the  Committee, 
when  he  was  stating  why  he  disapproved  General  Burnside's  plan  of  attack. 


432  LAST   TEAR   OP  THE  REBELLION.  [July, 

to  General  Burnside's  "  tactical  formation,"  he  testified  before 
the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  "  and  what  he  was 
to  do  with  his  troops,  I  made  no  objection."  "  The  only  objec- 
tion I  intended  to  make  to  "  his  "  plan  was  to  the  use  of  the 
colored  troops  in  advance."*  But  before  the  Court  of  inquiry 
which,  after  the  battle  investigated  the  whole  affair,  General 
Meade  testified  as  follows  :  "  I  saw  Potter,  Ledlie  and  Will- 
cox  and  I  referred  in  the  presence  of  those  gentlemen  to  the 
tactical  manoeuvres  to  be  made  between  that  crater  and  the 
crest — that  the  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  rush  for  the  crest, 
and  take  it  immediately  after  the  explosion  had  taken  place ; 
and  that  they  might  rest  assured  that  any  attempt  to  take  time 
to  form  their  troops  would  result  in  a  repulse."f  No  other 
conclusion  can  be  reached  than  that  General  Meade  did  object 
to  General  Burnside's  "  tactical  formation,"  and  that  the  entire 
plan  of  attack,  which  had  been  carefully  prepared,  was  disap- 
proved in  all  its  details.  In  this  situation  General  Burnside 
and  his  division  commanders  found  themselves  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  29th  of  July. 

The  decision  of  General  Meade,  unexpected  as  it  was,  caused 
no  little  embarrassment  to  the  officers  of  the  Ninth  Corps.  The 
mine  was  to  be  exploded  at  an  early  hour  on  the  following 
morning.  The  colored  troops  were  not  to  be  used  in  the  ad- 
Vance.  What  division  should  be  selected  to  take  their  place  ? 
So  far  as  the  men  were  concerned  there  was  little  choice  be- 
tween them.  There  were  no  special  reasons  for  selecting  one 
in  preference  to  another.  Each  was  as  brave  as  the  other.  All 
had  been  about  equally  engaged  in  the  very  arduous  service  of 
the  campaign  and  the  siege.  General  Burnside  said  to  his  divi- 
sion commanders  :  "  Gentlemen,  there  are  certain  reasons 
why  either  one  of  you  should  lead  the  attack.  Your  division, 
General  Willcox,  and  yours,  General  Potter,  are  both  near  the 
point  of  assault,  and  it  will  require  less  time  to  put  either  of 
them  into  position,  than  to  bring  up  General  Ledlie's  division. 

♦Attack  on  Petersburg,  p.  44.    tAttack  on  Petersburg,  pp.  57, 143. 


Hytt  WV 


A  PR  I  L   3»      1»4  5". 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  433 

But,  General  Ledlie,  the  men  of  your  division  have  not  been  in 
such  close  proximity  to  the  enemy  as  those  of  the  other  two, 
and  have  not  had  quite  so  hard  work  as  they.  There  is  really 
no  overpowering  reason  why  either  of  you  should  be  selected 
or  excluded.  Why  not  draw  lots  for  the  position  and  thus  de- 
termine who  shall  make  the  assault?"  No  objection  was  made, 
lots  were  drawn,  and  the  choice  fetl  upon  General  Ledlie — 
most  unfortunately,  as  was  afterwards  thought  by  General 
Grant,  who  considered  him  an  "  inefficient  "  officer.  General 
Ledlie  was  immediately  directed  by  General  Burnside  to  recon- 
noitre the  ground  and  prepare  for  the  attack.  He  afterwards 
reported,  that  he  had  attended  to  that,  duty,  and  only  waited  for 
darkness  and  the  relieving  troops,  to  take  position  for  the  duties 
of  the  coming  day. 

General  Meade  issued  his  battle  order  :  "  1.  As  soon  as  it 
is  dark,  Major  General  Burnside,  commanding  Ninth  Corps, 
will  withdraw  his  two  brigades  under  General  White,*  occupy- 
ing the  intrenchments  between  the  plank  and  Norfolk  roads, 
and  bring  them  to  his  front.  Care  will  be  taken  not  to  inter- 
fere with  the  troops  of  the  eighteenth  corps  moving  into  their 
position  in  rear  of  the  Ninth  Corps.  General  Burnside  will 
form  his  troops  for  assaulting  the  enemy's  works  at  daylight  of 
the  30th,  prepare  his  parapets  and  abatis  for  the  passage  of  the 
columns,  and  have  the  pioneers  equipped  for  work  in  opening 
passages  for  artillery,  destroying  enemy's  abatis,  &c,  and  the 
intrenching  tools  distributed  for  effecting  lodgements,  &c. 

"  8.  At  half-past  three  in  the  morning  of  the  30th,  Major 
General  Burnside  will  spring  his  mine,  and  his  assaulting 
columns  will  immediately  move  rapidly  upon  the  breach,  seize 
the  crest  in  the  rear,  and  effect  a  lodgement  there.     He  will  be 

*General  Julius  White— favorably  known  as  the  commander  of  a  division  in 
the  twenty-third  corps  in  East  Tennessee — came  to  General  Burnside  in  July 
and  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Ninth  Corps.  At  this  time  he  was  in  command 
of  the  fourth  division  in  the  temporary  absence  of  General  Ferrero,  who  was 
away  for  a  few  days  on  leave  General  Ferrero  returned  to  camp  on  the  29th, 
and  General  White  was  appointed  Chief  of  Staff  during  the  day  of  battle.  Gen- 
eral Parke  was  at  the  time  disabled  from  service  by  sickness. 
55 


434  LAST   TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JULY, 

followed  by  Major  General  Ord,  who  will  support  him  on  the 
right,  directing  his  movement  to  the  crest  indicated,  and  by 
Major  General  Warren,  who  will  support  him  on  the  left." 

The  other  corps  commanders  were  directed  to  move  their 
troops  in  accordance  with  the  above  order.  General  War- 
ren, of  the  fifth  corps,  was  to  "  concentrate  all  his  available 
forces  on  his  right  and  hold  them  prepared  to  support  the  at- 
tack of  the  Ninth  Corps."  General  Ord,  of  the  eighteenth  corps, 
was  to  form  his  command  in  the  rear  of  the  Ninth  Corps  and 
be  prepared  to  support  General  Burnside.  General  Hancock, 
of  the  second  corps,  was  to  move  from  Deep  Bottom,  where  he 
had  been  making  a  feigned  attack  "  to  the  rear  of  the  intrench- 
ments  held  by  the  eighteenth  corps,  and  be  prepared  to  follow 
up  the  assaulting  and  supporting  columns."  General  Sheri- 
dan, with  the  entire  cavalry  of  the  army,  was  to  move  against 
the  enemy's  right  below  Petersburg.  Engineer  officers  were 
to  be  detailed  for  each  corps,  ponton  trains  were  to  be  pre- 
pared, supplies  of  intrenching  materials  provided,  field  artillery 
to  be  got  in  readiness,  and  all  the  guns  along  the  line  were  to 
open  upon  those  points  in  the  enemy's  line  that  commanded 
the  ground  over  which  our  troops  were  to  move.  Prompti- 
tude, rapidity  of  execution,  and  cordial  cooperation  were  com- 
mended to  the  officers  and  men.  Headquarters  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  for  the  day  were  to  be  established  at  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Ninth  Corps  in  the  rear. 

General  Burnside  issued  his  battle  order : 

"  1.  The  mine  will  be  exploded  to-morrow  morning,  at  half- 
past  three,  by  Colonel  Pleasants. 

"  2.  General  Ledlie  will,  immediately  upon  the  explosion 
of  the  mine,  move  his  division  forward  as  directed  by  verbal 
orders,  and  if  possible  crown  the  crest  at  the  point  known  as 
Cemetery  Hill,  occupying,  if  possible,  the  cemetery. 

"  3.  General  Willcox  will  move  his  division  forward  as 
soon  as  possible  after  General  Ledlie  has  passed  through  the 
first  line  of  the  enemy's  works,  bearing  off  to  the  left  so  as  to 
effectually  protect  the  left  flank  of  General  Ledlie's  column, 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  435 

and  make  a  lodgement,  if  possible,  on  the  Jerusalem  plank  road 
to  the  left  of  General  Ledlie's  division. 

"  4.  General  Potter  will  move  his  division  forward  to  the 
right  of  General  Ledlie's  division  as  soon  as  it  is  apparent  that 
he  will  not  interfere  with  the  movements  of  General  Willcox's 
division,  and  will,  as  near  as  possible,  protect  the  right  flank  of 
General  Ledlie  from  any  attack  on  that  quarter,  and  establish 
a  line  on  the  crest  of  a  ravine,  which  seems  to  run  from  the 
Cemetery  Hill  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  enemy's  main  line 
directly  in  our  front. 

"5.  General  Ferrero  will  move  his  division  immediately 
after  General  Willcox's  until  he  reaches  our  present  advanced 
line,  where  he  will  remain  until  the  ground  in  his  front  is  en- 
tirely cleared  by  the  other  three  divisions,  when  he  will  move 
forward  over  the  same  ground  that  General  Ledlie  moved  over, 
will  pass  through  our  line,  and,  if  possible,  move  down  and 
occupy  the  village  to  the  right." 

The  formations  and  movements  of  the  troops  had  already 
been  explained  in  personal  interviews  of  General  Burnside  and 
his  officers.  Headquarters  of  the  Ninth  Corps  for  the  day 
were  to  be  at  the  fourteen  gun  battery  in  the  centre  of  our  po- 
sition in  front.  Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  as  the  29th  of 
July  closed  upon  the  intrenched  camps. 

The  hours  had  fled  apace.  The  day  was  now  spent,  and  but 
little  time  remained.  General  Ord  was  so  slow  in  coming  up 
to  relieve  the  troops  of  the  Ninth  Corps  in  the  trenches,  that 
at  nine  and  three-quarters  o'clock  in  the  evening,  General 
Meade  ordered  the  assaulting  column  to  be  formed  without 
reference  to  General  Ord's  movements,  thus  leaving  the  trenches 
vacant.  At  half  past  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  30th, 
General  Ledlie's  division  began  its  formation,  and  passed  on  to 
the  designated  place  of  its  debouche  for  the  attack.  It  was  but 
an  hour  and  a  half  to  daylight.  It  was  but  an  hour  to  the 
time  of  action.  Certainly  it  was  an  anxious  night  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  Ninth  Corps.  All  his  plans  had  been  frustrated 
by  the  superior  authority  of  his  commanding  general.     The 


436  LAST    YEAR    OF   THE   REBELLION.  [July, 

mine,  which  had  been  constructed  under  such  discouraging 
circumstances,  had  finally  been  regarded,  though  with  evident 
reluctance,  as  promising  a  success.  Its  explosion  would  result 
in  a  magnificent  triumph  or  a  miserable  disaster.  The  one 
would  be  for  the  glory  of  General  Meade.  The  other  would 
be  visited  upon  the  head  of  the  unfortunate  corps  commander 
who  had  taken  the  enterprise  in  hand.  General  Burnside  left 
his  headquarters  in  the  rear,  repaired  to  the  front  of  the  line 
and  watched  for  the  morning.   „ 

At  quarter  past  three  o'clock,  the  fuses  were  fired.  All 
eyes  were  turned  to  the  rebel  fort  opposite,  beneath  which  eight 
thousand  pounds  of  powder  were  suddenly  to  be  ignited.  In 
the  gray  of  the  morning  it  was  discernible  but  three  hundred 
feet  distant.  The  garrison  was  sleeping  in  fancied  security. 
The  sentinels  slowly  paced  their  rounds,  without  a  suspicion  of 
the  thinness  of  the  crust  which  lay  between  them  and  the  awful 
chasm  below.  Our  own  troops,  lying  upon  their  arms  in  un- 
broken silence,  or  with  an  occasional  murmur,  stilled  at  once 
by  the  whispered  word  of  command,  looked  for  the  eventful 
moment  of  attack  to  arrive.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  passed — a 
half  hour,  and  there  was  no  rejjort.  Four  o'clock  came,  and 
the  sky  began  to  brighten  in  the  east.  The  rebel  garrison  was 
bestirring  itself.  The  rebel  lines  gradually  assumed  once  more 
the  appearance  of  life.  The  sharpshooters,  prepared  for  new 
victims,  began  to  pick  off  those  of  our  men  who  came  within 
the  range  of  their  deadly  aim.  Another  day  of  siege  was 
dawning.      Still  there  was  no  explosion.     What  could  it  mean  ? 

The  fuses  had  failed.  The  dampness  had  penetrated  to  the 
place  where  the  parts  had  been  spliced  together,  and  the  pow- 
der would  not  burn.  Two  men,  Lieutenant  Jacob  Douty  and 
Sergeant,  afterwards  promoted  to  Lieutenant,  Henry  Bees  of 
the  48th  Pennsylvania,  volunteered  to  go  into  the  mine  to  as- 
certain where  the  fuses  had  failed,  to  put  them  once  ao-ain  in 
order,  and  to  relight  them.  At  quarter  past  four  o'clock,  they 
bravely  entered  the  mine,  rearranged  the  fuses  and  again 
lighted  them.     In  the  meantime,  General  Meade  had  arrived 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  437 

at  the  permanent  headquarters  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  in  the 
grove  about  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  our  main  line,  had  comforta- 
bly bestowed  himself  with  General  Grant  in  company,  and  sent 
two  aides  de  camp  to  General  Burnside  to  transmit  all  neces- 
sary information.  Not  being  able  to  see  anything  that  was 
going  forward,  and  not  hearing  any  report,  General  Meade  be- 
came somewhat  impatient.  He  was  not  in  an  amiable  mood, 
and  at  fifteen  minutes  past  four  o'clock,  he  telegraphed  to 
General  Burnside  to  know  what  was  the  cause  of  the  delay. 
General  Burnside  was  too  busy  in  remedying  the  failure  already 
incurred  to  reply  immediately — expected,  indeed,  that  before 
the  despatch  could  be  sent  the  explosion  would  take  place. 
General  Meade  ill-naturedly  telegraphed  the  operator  to  know 
where  General  Burnside  was.  At  half  past  four,  the  com- 
manding general  became  still  more  impatient,  and  was  on  the 
point  of  ordering  an  immediate  assault  upon  the  enemy's  works, 
without  reference  to  the  mine.  Five  minutes  later,  he  did  or- 
der the  assault. 

At  precisely  sixteen  minutes  before  five  o'clock',  the  mine 
exploded.  Then  ensued  a  scene  which  beggars  description. 
The  ground  heaved  and  trembled.  A  terrific  sound,  like  the 
noise  of  great  thunders,  burst  forth  upon  the  morning  air. 
Huge  masses  of  earth,  mingled  with  cannon,  caissons,  camp 
equipage,  and  human  bodies,  were  thrown  up.  It  seemed  like 
a  mountain  reversed,  enveloped  in  clouds  of  smoke,  sand  and 
dust,  upheaved  by  the  explosion  of  four  tons  of  powder.  A 
moment  more,  and  all  that  was  left  of  a  six  gun  battery  and  its 
garrison  of  two  hundred  men  and  more,  was  a  great  crater,  two 
hundred  feet  long,  fifty  wide,  and  twenty-five  deep,  with  the 
debris  of  the  material  of  what  had  been  one  of  the  strongest  of 
the  enemy's  works.  The  effect  upon  the  rebel  forces  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  was  wonderful.  Some  seemed  paralyzed 
with  astonishment  and  fear.  Others  fled  from  their  works  as 
though  they  thought  that  the  entire  line  was  mined,  and  that 
all  would  be  involved  in  a  common  destruction. 

Now  was  the  time  for  action.     Forward  went  General  Led- 


438  LAST    YEAR    OF   THE    REBELLION.  [July, 

lie's  column,  with  Colonel  Marshall's  brigade  in  advance.  The 
parapets  were  surmounted,  the  abatis  was  quickly  removed, 
and  the  division  prepared  to  pass  over  the  intervening  ground 
and  charge  through  the  still  smoking  ruins  to  gain  the  crest 
beyond.  But  here  the  leading  brigade  made  a  temporary  halt. 
It  was  said  at  the  time,  that  our  men  suspected  a  counter  mine, 
and  were  themselves  shocked  by  the  terrible  scene  which  they 
had-  witnessed.  It  was,  however,  but  momentary.  The  men 
at  once  recovered,  pushed  forward,  and  in  less  than  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  the  entire  division  was  out  of  its  entrenchments,  and 
was  advancing  gallantly  towards  the  enemy's  line.  The  ground 
was  somewhat  difficult  to  cross  over,  but  the  troops  pushed 
steadily  on  with  soldierly  bearing,  overcoming  all  the  obstacles 
before  them.  They  reached  the  edge  of  the  crater,  passed 
down  into  the  chasm,  and  attempted  to  make  their  way  through 
the  yielding  sand,  the  broken  clay  and  the  masses  of  rubbish 
that  were  scattered  everywhere  about.  The  enemy's  lines  on 
either  side  and  beyond  were  found  to  be  very  complex,  intri- 
cate and  involved.  Many  of  the  enemy's  men  were  lying 
among  the  ruins,  half  buried,  and  vainly  trying  to  free  them- 
selves. They  called  for  mercy  and  for  help.  The  soldiers 
stopped  to  take  prisoners,  to  dig  out  guns  and  other  materiel. 
Their  division  commander  was  not  with  them.  Of  the  brigade 
commanders,  General  Bartlett,  disabled  by  the  loss  of  a  leg  in 
a  previous  battle  in  the  peninsular  campaign,  but  otherwise  a 
most  efficient,  brave  and  meritorious  officer,  coidd  not  move 
with  great  facility,  and  Colonel  Marshall  was  hardly  equal  to 
the  management  of  a  large  command.  There  was  no  respon- 
sible head.  The  ranks  were  broken,  the  regimental  organiza- 
tions  could  not  be  preserved,  the  troops  were  becoming  con- 
fused, the  officers  stopped  to  form  anew  the  disordered  lines. 
The  2d  Pennsylvania  heavy  artillery  endeavored  to  extricate 
itself,  and  did  eventually  succeed  in  advancing  a  hundred  yards 
beyond  the  crater,  but,  finding  itself  without  support,  withdrew. 
Precious  time  was  passing.  The  enemy  was  recovering  from 
his  surprise.     Our  artillery,  which  had  opened  along  our  entire 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  439 

line  immediately  after  the  explosion  of  the  mine,  began  to  re- 
ceive a  spirited  response.  The  enemy's  men  went  back  to  their 
guns.  They  gathered  on  the  crest,  and  soon  brought  to  bear 
upon  our  troops  a  fire  in  front  from  the  Cemetery  hill  and  an 
enfilading  and  cross  fire  from  their  guns  in  battery.  Our  own 
artillery  could  not  altogether  silence  or  overcome  this  fire  in 
flank.  Our  men  in  the  crater  were  checked,  felt  the  enemy's 
fire,  sought  cover,  began  to  intrench.  The  movement  up  and 
down  the  enemy's  lines  had  been  disapproved  and  the  advance 
movement  could  not  now  be  made  except  with  extreme  diffi- 
culty. 

In  the  mean  time,  General  Potter  was  doing  all  that  a  brave 
man  could  to  put  his  division  into  the  action,  where  it  could 
accomplish  the  most  decisive  results.  General  Griffin's  brigade 
had  been  massed  between  the  railroad  and  the  advanced  line, 
and  in  anticipation  of  the  attack,  General  Griffin  was  ordered 
to  deploy  a  line  of  skirmishers  to  the  right  of  the  crater.  In 
case  General  Ledlie  moved  forward  successfully,  General  Grif- 
fin was  to  advance  his  skirmishers  to  the  right  and  follow  with 
the  main  body  about  parallel  with  General  Ledlie's  line  of  ad- 
vance. These  directions  were  carefnlly  followed.  General 
Griffin  pressed  forward  and  struck  the  enemy's  line  immedi- 
ately to  the  right  of  the  crater.  He  found  that  the  point  at 
which  he  entered  was  difficult  of  penetration.  The  line  was 
defended  by  chevaux  de  frise  of  pointed  stakes,  traverses  and 
other  appliances,  and  he  was  obliged  to  fight  his  way  along 
hand  to  hand.  He  succeeded,  however,  in  securing  about  two 
hundred  yards  of  rifle  pits.  He  advanced  even  beyond  these 
towards  the  crest  for  two  hundred  yards  further,  but  was  there 
checked.  A  part  of  the  second  brigade  under  Colonel  Z.  P. 
Bliss  of  the  7th  Rhode  Island  followed  the  first  and,  becoming 
engaged  with  the  enemy,  afforded  very  important  aid  to  Gene- 
ral Griffin  in  his  movement.  Two  regiments  passed  into  the 
crater,  turned  to  the  right  and  swept  down  the  line  for  a  con- 
siderable distance.     One  of  General  Potter's  regiments   even 


440  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JULY, 

reached  a  point  within  twenty  or  thirty  yards  of  the  enemy's 
battery  on  the  right. 

General  Willcox  on  his  part  directed  his  column  to  the  left 
and  his  second  brigade  succeeded  in  occupying  about  one  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  enemy's  rifle  pits  in  that  direction.  The 
greater  part  of  the  division,  however,  followed  General  Ledlie's 
troops  and  became  mingled  with  them  amid  the  confusion  that 
was  beginning  to  prevail.  The  result  which  General  Burnside 
had  feared  now  became  manifest.  The  men  began  to  shelter 
themselves  from  the  fire  of  the  foe  instead  of  pushing  boldly 
forward  and  overcoming  it.  Each  division  had  been  accom- 
panied by  a  regiment  equipped  as  engineers,  and  their  intrench- 
ing tools  came  into  requisition  for  protection  against  the  enemy. 
General  Burnside,  following  General  Meade's"  directions,  had 
urged  upon  his  division  commanders  the  necessity  of  making 
for  the  crest.  But  in  the  crowded  state  of  the  crater  almost 
any  kind  of  movement  became  exceedingly  difficult.  Still  the 
attempt  was  made.  Some  of  our  men  struggled  through  the 
melee  and  climbed  the  crater's  side.  They  stood  upon  the 
further  edge.  There  they  encountered  a  severe  and  destructive 
fire  of  shrapnel  and  canister  from  a  battery  which  the  enemy 
had  posted  on  the  crest. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  things  at  forty  minutes  past  five 
o'clock.  General  Burnside  reported  to  General  Meade,  that 
the  enemy's  first  line  and  the  breach  were  occupied,  and  that 
he  should  "  endeavor  to  push  forward  to  the  crest  as  rapidly 
as  possible."  About  the  same  time  General  Meade  intercepted 
a  despatch  from  Lieutenant  Colonel  Loring  to  General  Burn- 
side to  the  effect,  that  General  Ledlie's  troops  could  not  be  in- 
duced to  advance.  He  immediately  directed  General  Burnside 
to  push  forward  "  all  his  troops  to  the  crest  at  once,"  and  to 
call  upon  General  Ord  "  to  move  forward  his  troops  at  once." 
The  order  was  short  and  peremptory.  But  how  could  it  be 
executed  ?  General  Ord's  command — according  to  General 
Meade's  own  order — was  massed  in  the  rear  of  the  Ninth  Corps. 
The    crater   and  the  space  between    that  and   our  lines   was 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  441 

already  filled  with  men.  General  Ord  found  that  he  could  do 
nothing  then,  while  the  troops  that  had  already  gone  forward 
and  the  wounded  returning  choked  the  passage,  through  which 
he  was  expected  to  move. 

At  six  o'clock,  General  Meade  sent  an  order  to  General 
Burnside  to  push  his  "  men  forward  at  all  hazards,  white  and 
Mack,"  and  "  not  to  lose  time  in  making  formations,  but  rush 
for  the  crest."  At  the  same  hour,  he  ordered  General  Ord 
directly  to  move  forward  his  "  corps  rapidly  to  the  crest  of  the 
hill,  independently  of  General  Burnside's  troops  and  make  a 
lodgement  there."  General  Ord  made  an  attempt  to  obey  this 
order.  General  Turner,  commanding  a  division  then  attached 
to  General  Ord's  corps,  at  half  past  six  began  his  movement. 
His  order  was  to  "  to  follow  Potter's  division  and  move  out  to 
the  right."  He  gradually  drew  his  troops  out  of  the  lines  from 
the  rear,  got  them  to  the  front  by  the  covered  way  leading  to 
our  advanced  line,  and  sent  them  forward.  At  seven  o'clock  the 
head  of  his  "column  reached  the  point  at  which  our  assaulting 
column  had  passed  through  our  lines."  He  received  a  second 
order  from  General  Ord  to  move  out  to  the  right.  He  found  it 
very  difficult  so  to  do  owing  to  the  peculiarly  broken  character 
of  the  ground  to  be  passed  over.  He  succeeded  after  much 
effort  in  pushing  forward  his  first  brigade,  which  pressed  up  to 
the  enemy's  lines  and  occupied  a  position  upon  General  Pot- 
ter's right.  General  Turner's  design  was  to  move  his  first  bri- 
gade down  the  enemy's  lines  while  the  second  brigade  marched 
out  of  the  trenches  in  support.  The  second  brigade  was  ac- 
cordingly formed  for  that  purpose,  and  the  third  brigade  was 
massed  for  attack  in  case  any  favorable  opportunity  should 
offer  or  the  exigency  should  demand.* 

While  these  movements  were  making  in  the  rear,  General 
Potter  was  endeavoring  to  remedy  the  disordered  state  of 
affairs  in  the  crater.  He  felt  convinced  that  there  were  too 
many  men  in  that  exposed  situation,  and  he  knew  that  their 


*General  Turner's  testimony,  Attack  on  Petersburg,  pp.  133,  134, 135. 
56 


442  LAST   TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  {JULY, 

movements  were  hampered  by  their  crowded  condition.  He 
thought  that  a  diversion  should  be  made  upon  the  right  or  left. 
General  Burnside,  receiving  the  direct  order  of  General  Meade 
to  push  forward  to  the  crest,  at  once  transmitted  it  to  Gene- 
ral Potter.  General  Potter  in  his  turn  was  pressing  his  division 
forward  and  attempted  to  gain  the  crest.  It  was  impossible. 
The  enemy's  fire  was  very  severe,  and  told  fearfully  among  our 
troops.  The  mortar  batteries  had  now  secured  the  range  of 
our  position  and  were  dropping  shells  into  the  crater  with  great 
accuracy  and  execution.  To  send  more  men  in  seemed  like 
Sending  them  to  certain  destruction. 

But  General  Meade's  order  of  six  o'clock  contemplated  no 
discretion  on  the  part  of  the  commander  of  the  Ninth  Corps. 
Nothing  could  be  more  clear.  Nothing  could  be  more  impera- 
tive. "  Our  chance  is  now  :  push  your  men  forward,  white  and 
black."  Such  were  the  terms.  They  could  not  be  evaded. 
General  Burnside  accordingly  directed  General  Ferrero  to  put 
in  his  division.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Loring,  who  was  standing 
by  General  Ferrero  at  the  time  the  order  was  received,  took 
the  liberty  as  the  senior  staff-officer  present  to  countermand  the 
order,  until  he  could  consult  General  Burnside  in  regard  to  the 
matter.  But  General  Burnside  had  no  option  but  to  obey 
The  order  was  accordingly  repeated,  and  General  Ferrero's 
division  advanced  to  the  attack. 

The  colored  troops  charged  forward  cheering  and  with  great 
enthusiasm  and  gallantry.  Colonel  J.  K.  Sigfried,  command- 
ing the  first  brigade,  led  the  attacking  column.  The  command 
moved  out  in  rear  of  Colonel  Humphrey's  brigade  of  the  third 
division,  Colonel  Sigfried,  passing  Colonel  Humphrey  by  the 
flank,  crossed  the  field  immediately  in  front,  went  down  into 
the  crater  and  attempted* to  go  through.  The  passage  was 
exceedingly  difficult,  but,  after  great  exertions,  the  brigade 
made  its  way  through  the  crowded  masses  in  a  somewhat 
broken  and  disorganized  condition,  and  advanced  towards  the 
crest.  The  43d  United  States  colored  troops  moved  over  the 
lip  of  the  crater  towards  the  right,  made  an  attack  upon  the 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  443 

enemy's  line  of  intrenchments  and  won  the  chief  success  of  the 
day — capturing  a  number  of  prisoners  and  a  stand  of  rebel 
colors,  and  recapturing  a  stand  of  national  colors.  The  other 
regiments  of  the  brigade  were  unable  to  get  up  on  account  of 
white  troops  in  advance  of  them  crowding  the  line.*  The 
second  brigade  under  the  command  of  Colonel  H.  G.  Thomas, 
followed  the  first  with  equal  enthusiasm.  The  men  rushed 
forward,  descended  into  the  crater  and  attempted  to  pass 
through.  Colonel  Thomas's  intention  was  to  go  to  the  right 
and  attack  the  enemy's  rifle  pits.  He  partially  succeeded  in 
doing  so.  But  his  brigade  was  much  broken  up  when  it  came 
under  the  enemy's  fire.  The  gallant  brigade  commander  en- 
deavored in  person  to  rally  his  command  and  at  last  formed  a 
storming  column  of  portions  of  the  29th,  28th,  23d  and  19th 
regiments.  These  troops  made  a  spirited  attack,  but  lost 
heavily  in  officers  and  became  somewhat  disheartened.  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Bross  of  the  29th,  with  the  colors  in  his  hand 
led  the  charge,  was  the  first  man  to  leap  upon  the  enemy's 
works,  and  was  instantly  killed.  Lieutenant  Pennell  seized 
the  colors,  but  was  shot  down  riddled  through  and  through. 
Major  Theodore  H.  Rockwood  of  the  19th  sprang  upon  the 
parapet  and  fell  while  cheering  on  his  regiment  to  the  attack. f 
The  conduct  of  these  officers  and  their  associates  was  indeed 
magnificent.  No  troops  were  ever  better  led  to  an  assault. 
Had  they  been  allowed  the  advance  at  the  outset,  before  the 
enemy  had  recovered  from  his  first  surprise,  General  Grant's 
belief,  that  their  charge  "  would  have  been  a  success,"  would 
doubtless  have  been  verified.  But  it  was  now  too  late.  The 
fire  to  which  they  were  exposed  was  very  hot  and  very  de- 
structive. It  came  from  front  and  flank.  It  poured  into  the 
faces  of  the  men.  It  enfiladed  their  lines.  The  enemy's  rage 
against  the  colored  troops  had  its  bloody  opportunity. 

While  these   movements  were  making  in  front,   despatches 
were  passing  between  Generals  Burnside  and  Meade  which  did 

*Colonel  Sigfried's  Report.    fColonel  Thomas's  Report. 


444  LAST   YEAR   OP   THE   REBELLION.  [JULY, 

not  augur  well  for  the  issue  of  the  attack.  At  twenty  minutes 
past  seven  o'clock  General  Burnside  sent  the  following  telegram 
to  General  Meade  :  "  I  am  doing  all  in  my  power  to  push  the 
troops  forward  and  if  possible  we  will  carry  the  crest.  It  is 
hard  work,  but  we  hope  to  accomplish  it.  I  am  fully  alive  to 
the  importance  of  it."  General  Meade  at  half  past  seven  re- 
plied with  the  following  ill-tempered  effusion  :  "  What  do  you 
mean  by  hard  work  to  take  the  crest  ?  I  understand  not  a  man 
has  advanced  beyond  the  enemy's  line  which  you  occupied  im- 
mediately after  exploding  the  mine.  Do  you  mean  to  say  your 
officers  and  men  will  not  obey  your  orders  to  advance  ?  If  not, 
Avhat  is  the  obstacle  ?  I  wish  to  know  the  truth  and  desire  an 
immediate  answer." 

This  despatch  was  carried  to  General  Burnside  by  Captain 
Jay,  General  Meade's  aide  de  camp.  Immediately  upon  its 
receipt,  General  Burnside  replied  :  "  Your  despatch  by  Cap- 
tain Jay  received.  The  main  body  of  General  Potter's  division 
is  beyond  the  crater.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  my  officers 
and  men  will  not  obey  my  orders  to  advance.  I  mean  to  say 
that  it  is  very  hard  to  advance  to  the  crest.  I  have  never  in 
any  report  said  anything  different  from  what  I  conceived  to  be 
the  truth.  Were  it  not  insubordinate,  I  would  say  that  the 
latter  remark  of  your  note  was  unofficer-like  and  ungentle- 
manly."  General  Burnside  was  frank  to  confess,  when  exam- 
ined before  the  Committee  of  Congress,  that  his  language  was 
unfortunate.  But  he  felt  at  the  time  that  General  Meade  was 
impugning  his  veracity,  and  replied,  as  a  high  spirited  and  truth- 
loving  man  would  be  most  likely  to  do  under  such  aggravating 
circumstances.  General  Meade,  impatient  and  petulant  before, 
did  not  improve  in  temper  on  the  receipt  of  this  message.  His 
orders  became  more  positive,  if  possible,  than  before. 

At  the  extreme  front,  the  condition  of  affairs  did  not  appear 
favorable.  The  colored  troops  had  gone  in  to  the  fight  man- 
fully. They  had  lost  severely,  and  their  organization  was  much 
broken.  Colonel  Sigfried's  brigade  had  suffered  very  badly  in 
its  loss  of  officers.     Colonel  Delavan  Bates  of  the  30th  regiment 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  445 

fell  shot  in  the  face.  Major  James  C.  Lake  of  the  same  regi- 
ment was  severely  wounded  in  the  breast.  Lieutenant  Colo- 
nel H.  Seymour  Hall  of  the  43d  lost  his  right  arm.  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Charles  J.  Wright  of  the  27th  was  shot  twice 
and  badly  wounded.  There  were  no  wounds  in  the  back 
among  these  brave  officers.  But  all  their  endeavors  and  sacri- 
fices did  not  avail.  The  work  upon  which  they  had  been  sent 
could  not  be  accomplished.  Colonel  Sigfried,  in  bearing  wit- 
ness to  the  bravery  of  his  command,  believed  that  "  had  it  not 
been  for  the  almost  impassable  crowd  of  troops  in  the  crater  and 
intrenchments,  .Cemetery  Hill  would  have  been  ours  without  a 
falter  upon  the  part  of  my  brigade."  The  attack  failed.  "A 
white  color  bearer  with  his  colors  crossed  the  works  in  retreat. 
The  troops  gave  way  and  sought  shelter  in  the  crater  where 
was  concentrated  a  terrific  fire."*  A  panic  took  place.  Many 
of  the  men  white  and  black  ran  to  the  rear.  The  enemy  gath- 
ered about  the  edge  of  the  crater  and  along  the  line  of  the  com- 
manding works,  and,  with  his  men  in  good  range  and  good  posi- 
tion, made  havoc  among  our  devoted  troops.  His  artillery 
swept  the  intervening  space  between  the  crater  and  our  line  of 
works,  and  to  retreat  was  as  hazardous  as  to  remain. 

Time  passes  rapidly  amid  such  exciting  scenes.  At  nine 
o'clock,  General  Burnside  sought  an  order  from  General  Meade 
directing  General  Warren  to  make  an  attack  upon  the  enemy  in 
his  front.  The  hostile  lines  were  almost  bare  of  defenders  on 
either  flank  of  the  point  immediately  assailed,  and  the  support- 
ing corps,  if  they  were  now  to  attack,  would  not  only  relieve 
the  Ninth  Corps,  but  would  also  gain  a  decisive  advantage. 
General  Warren  commanding  the  fifth  telegraphed  to  General 
Meade  and  suggested  that  he  should  come  to  the  front  and 
see  for  himself  the  state  of  the  battle.  General  Meade  declined 
doing  so.  But  at  the  same  time  he  was  unwilling  to  allow 
General  Burnside  any  opportunity  to  exercise  command  over 
the  corps  in  his  immediate  neighborhood.     By  General  Meade's 

♦Colonel  Sigfried's  Report. 


446  LAST   YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [JULY, 

peremptory  order,  all  the  troops  belonging  to  the  Ninth  Corps 
had  been  sent  into  the  battle.  General  Meade  now  declined  to 
relieve  them  by  ordering  an  attack  to  be  made  by  the  corps  on 
either  side  of  the  position  of  the  Ninth.  A  marked  difference 
is  to  be  observed,  between  the  character  of  the  orders  given  to 
General  Burnside  and  that  of  those  to  the  other  corps  com- 
manders. General  Burnside  was  permitted  no  discretion.  Not 
an  order  through  the  entire  action  was  conditional.  To  Gen- 
erals Warren,  Hancock  and  Ord  obedience  to  the  orders  given 
was  to  be  determined  by  circumstances.  If  there  was  "  appa- 
rently an  opportunity  to  carry  the  enemy's  ^orks,"  General 
Warren  was  to  "take  advantage  of  it  and  push  forward  "  his 
troops.  When  General  Warren  found  the  opportunity  and  was 
disposed  to  improve  it,  he  was  informed  by  General  Meade  that 
the  attack  was  "  suspended."  General  Hancock  was  to  have 
his  "  troops  well  up  to  the  front  prepared  to  move  "  as  he 
might  be  called  upon  at  any  moment.  "  If  the  enemy  are  in 
force  and  prepared,"  says  General  Meade,  "  you  will  have  to 
await  developments  ;  but  if  you  have  reason  to  believe  their 
condition  is  such  that  an  effort  to  dislodge  them  would  be  suc- 
cessful, I  would  like  to  have  it  made."  General  Ord  was  direct- 
ed at  six  o'clock  to  move  forward  "  independently  of  General 
Burnside's  troops  and  make  a  lodgement"  on  the  crest.*  But  at 
eight  o'clock,  General  Ord  reported  that  the  topography  of  the 
ground  was  such  as  to  prevent  such  an  attack  as  General 
Meade  had  ordered.  Yet  notwithstanding  this  long  delay,  the 
commanding  general  had  no  word  of  censure  and  no  reiteration 
of  command.  The  difference  in  the  orders  is  so  striking  as  at 
once  to  arrest  attention. 

The  men  in  the  crater  began  to  feel  that  no  support  was  to 
be  given  them.  Instead  of  attempting  to  relieve  them  by  occu- 
pying the  enemy  upon  the  flank  of  the  crater,  General  Meade 
was  ordering  more  men  into  the  confused  masses  of  troops 
already  in  the  over-crowded  position.    He  had  put  in  the  entire 

*General  Meade's  orders  in  Attack  on  Petersburg,  p.  58  and  following. 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  447 

Ninth  Corps  and  one  division  of  the  eighteenth.  They  had  all 
gone  into  the  crater  or  into  positions  in  its  immediate  vicinity, 
since  they  could  go  nowhere  else.  Discouraged  by  the  condi- 
tion of  things,  our  mdtt  felt  as  though  they  were  sacrificed  with- 
out sufficient  cause  and  without  any  good  result.  The  enemy 
was  emboldened  to  make  an  attack.  But  he  was  effectually 
repulsed,  suffering  considerable  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  and 
even  in  prisoners.  The  morning  was  hot,  the  men  were  suffer- 
ing severely,  and  many  of  them  in  passing  to  the  rear  gave  the 
impression  that  our  entire  force  was  on  the  point  of  retiring. 
At  nine  o'clock,  General  Burnside  telegraphed  to  General 
Meade  that  "  many  of  the  Ninth  and  eighteenth  corps  "  were 
"  retiring  before  the  enemy."  He  desired  that  the  fifth  corps 
should  be  then  put  in  promptly.  General  Meade  declares  that 
that  was  the  "  first  information "  that  he  had  received  "that 
there  was  any  collision  with  the  enemy  or  that  there  was  any 
enemy  present."  He  was  within  a  mile  of  the  scene  of  action. 
He  had  heard  the  roar  of  the  battle.  One  of  his  aides  from  the 
beginning,  and  two  during  a  greater  part  of  the  time  had  been 
upon  the  ground.  General  Warren  and  General  Hancock  had 
spoken  of  the  enemy's  presence  in  their  despatches.  Captain 
Sanders  of  General  Meade's  own  staff  had  informed  him  as 
early  as  eight  o'clock,  that  General  Griffin  had  made  an  attack 
and  had  been  repulsed.  General  Grant  at  six  o'clock  had  gone 
to  the  front,  had  seen  that  the  opportunity  of  success  had  passed 
and  then  returned  to  General  Meade  in  the  rear.  General 
Burnside's  despatches  reasonably  interpreted  would  certainly 
give  the  impression  that  the  enemy  was  somewhere  present  in 
his  front.  In  the  blissful  ignorance  which  prevailed  at  the 
headquarters  in  the  shady  grove,  General  Meade  knew  nothing 
of  any  battle  or  any  enemy  ! 

As  soon  as  General  Meade  had  ascertained  the  fact  that  any 
portion  of  his  army  was  in  collision  with  the  enemy,  he  or- 
dered a  withdrawal.  General  Burnside  received  the  order  at 
half  past  nine  o'clock.  General  Hancock  was  informed,  at 
twenty-five  minutes  past  nine,  that  "  offensive  operations  had 


448  LAST   YEAR   OP   THE   REBELLION.  [JULY, 

been  suspended,"  and  that  he  would  hold  for  the  present  the 
line  of  the  eighteenth  corps.  General  Warren,  at  forty-five 
minutes  past  nine,  was  ordered  to  resume  his  original  position 
with  his  command.  General  Ord,  at  the  same  time,  was  di- 
rected to  withdraw  his  "  corps  to  the  rear  of  the  Ninth  in  some 
secured  place." 

General  Burnside,  immediately  upon  the  reception  of  the 
order  to  retire,  visited  General  Meade  at  his  headquarters  and 
requested  that  it  might  be  rescinded,  as  he  thought  that  the 
crest  might  still  be  carried  if  the  supporting  corps  would  re- 
lieve the  Ninth  from  the  pressure  otf  the  enemy.  Indeed, 
while  the  enemy's  troops  upon  the  right  and  left  were  allowed 
to  attack  the  troops  in  the  crater  without  hindrance,  a  retreat 
from  the  point  assailed  would  be  accompanied  with  great  loss, 
if  indeed  it  could  be  made  at  all.  General  Ferrero  had  been 
instructed  to  dig  a  covered  way  from  the  crater  to  our  lines, 
in  order  that  the  troops,  when  compelled  to  withdraw,  might 
retire  in  comparative  security.  Could  not  the  order  be  sus- 
pended until  this  covered  way  was  completed  ?  General  Meade 
thought  not.  The  order  was  final.  The  troops  must  come 
back.  It  was  repeated  in  the  most  peremptory  manner.  "  The 
major  general  commanding,"  writes  the  chief  of  staff",  "  directs 
that  you  withdraw  to  your  own  intrenchments." 

General  Burnside,  finding  that  General  Meade  could  not  be 
moved  from  his  purpose,  and  would  not  afford  any  aid,  col- 
lected his  division  commanders  at  his  headquarters  in  the  front 
and  communicated  to  them  the  orders  of  the  commanding  gen- 
eral. While  the  deliberation  was  in  progress,  other  orders 
came  from  General  Meade  to  the  effect  that  the  troops  were  to 
be  withdrawn  according  to  the  discretion  of  their  commanding 
officer.  This  was  at  ten  o'clock.  But  before  this,  the  order 
had  been  sent  into  the  crater.  It  was  returned  with  the  en- 
dorsement that  it  was  impossible  to  retire,  "  on  account  of 
the  enfilading  fire  over  the  ground  between  our  rifle  pits  and 
the  crater,"  and  with  the  request  "  that  our  lines  should  open 
with  artillery  and  infantry  bearing  on  the  right  and  left  of  the 


1864.]  THE   MINE.  449 

crater,  under  which  fire,"  it  was  thought  "  every  one  could  get 
away."* 

But  there  was  no  fire  to  open.  General  Meade's  order  had 
suspended  all  offensive  operations  and  removed  the  troops  on 
the  lines  to  their  former  positions.  The  men  in  the  crater  saw 
that  they  were  not  to  be  aided  in  any  way.  The  enemy  saw 
it  also,  and  was  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity. 
Still,  discouraged  as  they  were,  the  troops  showed  a  bold  front 
during  the  entire  forenoon.  But  while  waiting  for  the  approval 
of  the  endorsement  whigh  General  Hartranft  made,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  General  Griffin,,  the  enemy  appeared  in  greater  force 
for  another  attack.  Our  men,  worn  out  by  the  morning's 
work  and  in  despair  of  assistance,  could  not  stand  against  it. 
Generals  Hartranft  and  Griffin  attempted  to  draw  them  off  in 
order,  Jbut  they  were  hotly  pressed,  and  those  who  could  made 
their  way  in  some  confusion  to  their  own  lines.  A  considera- 
ble number  still  remained,  among  whom  were  General  Bartlett, 
Colonel  Marshall,  Colonel  S.  M.  Weld,  Jr.,  of  the  56th  Massa- 
chusetts, Lieutenant  Colonel  Buffum,  of  the  4th  Rhode  Island 
and  some  officers  of  the  colored  division.  These  officers,  un- 
willing to  yield,  rallied  their  men  about  them  and,  with  great 
bravery,  maintained  for  a  time  the  unequal  contest.  They 
fought  with  the  utmost  spirit,  but  eould  not  withstand  the 
overpowering  force  of  the  enemy.  A  number  were  killed  and 
wounded,  but  most  of  those  who  thus  remained  in  the  crater 
fell  as  prisoners  into  the  enemy's  hands.  The  men  who  retired 
suffered  severely  in  withdrawing.  The  entire  loss  in  the  Ninth 
Corps  was  fifty-two  officers  and  three  hundred  and  seventy-six 
men  killed,  one  hundred  and  five  officers  and  one  thousand  five 
hundred  and  fifty-six  men  wounded,  and  eighty-seven  officers 
and  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-two  men  missing,  most 
of  the  last  being  captured  at  the  time  of  the  retreat.  The  en- 
tire loss  was  three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-eight. 
The  eighteenth  corps  lost  about  five  hundred,  and  the  second 


*  General  Hartranft,  in  Attack  on  Petersburg,  p.  205, 
57 


450  LAST   TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [July, 

and  fifth  corps  scarcely  fifty.  General  Gregg,  with  the  cav- 
alry, had  a  smart  engagement  with  the  enemy  upon  our  extreme 
left,  but  without  any  decisive  result.  At  eleven  o'clock,  General 
Meade  returned  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac. General  Burnside,  at  a  later  hour,  retired  to  his  own 
headquarters  in  the  rear,  sorrow-stricken  by  the  contemplation 
of  the  deplorable  result.  At  two  o'clock  all  was  over,  and 
such  of  our  men  as  could  withdraw  from  the  crater  had  re- 
turned to  the  lines.  It  was  especially  mortifying  to  feel  that 
his  own  plan  of  action,  which  had  promised  a  magnificent 
victory,  should  have  been  set  aside  at  the  last  moment,  and 
another  substituted  which  eventuated  in  signal  disaster  and 
defeat. 

NOTE. 

General  Meade  performed  an  act  of  justice  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Pleas- 
ants by  issuing,  on  the  5th  of  August,  the  following  general  order  : 

"  The  commanding  general  takes  great  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the  val- 
uable services  rendered  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Henry  Pleasants,  48th  regi- 
ment Pennsylvania  Veteran  Volunteers,  and  the  officers  and  men  of  his 
command,  in  the  excavation  of  the  mine  which  was  successfully  exploded  on 
the  morning  of  the  30th  ult.,  under  one  of  the  enemy's  batteries  in  front  of 
the  second  division  of  the  Ninth  Army  Corps.  The  skill  displayed  in  the 
laying  out  and  construction  of  the  mine  reflects  great  credit  upon  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Pleasants,  the  officer  in  charge,  and  the  willing  endurance  by 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  regiment  of  the  extraordinary  labor  and  fatigue 
involved  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  to  completion  are  worthy  of  the 
highest  praise." 

How  great  an  encouragement  wpuld  have  been  such  a  recognition  while 
the  mine  was  in  progress !  But  instead  of  recognition,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Pleasants  had  nothing  but  ridicule  at  the  headquarters  of  the  army. 


1864.]  INQUIRY   AND    INVESTIGATION.  451 


CHAPTER    VI 

INQUIRY    AND    INVESTIGATION. 

THE  battle  of  July  30th  naturally  caused  considerable  dis- 
cussion in  and  out  of  the  army,  and  the  circumstances  of  the 
case  demanded  a  complete  investigation  of  the  causes  of  the 
disaster.  General  Meade  was  highly  incensed  by  the  language 
of  General  Burnside,  in  reply  to  the  imperative  demand  for  in- 
formation respecting  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  gaining  the 
crest.  He  was  also  displeased  with  his  silence  in  regard  to  the 
events  which  took  place  subsequently  to  the  suspension  of  hos- 
tilities. Accordingly,  on  the  3d  of  August,  he  preferred 
charges  against  General  Burnside,  intending  to  try  him  by 
court  martial.  He  also  requested  General  Grant  to  relieve  the 
offending  officer  from  duty  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
These  charges  were  for  "  disobedience  of  orders  "  and  "conduct 
prejudicial  to  good  order  and  military  discipline."  The  specifica- 
tions of  the  first  charge  were,  for  failure  in  communicating  infor- 
mation and  neglect  in  relieving  the  eighteenth  corps.  That  of 
the  second  was,  for  addressing  to  General  Meade  the  despatch 
to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made.  General  Grant  con- 
sidered these  charges  so  frivolous  that  he  refused  to  order  the 
court,  and  thus  that  matter  dropped. 

General  Meade,  however,  was  not  disposed  to  allow  the  case 
to  subside.  He  therefore  immediately  ordered  a  court  of  in- 
quiry to  examine  the  whole  subject.  The  court  met  and  de- 
cided that  it  could  not  proceed  without  the  authority  of  the 
President.  The  matter  was  then  referred  to  Washington,  and 
the  court  was  legalized  by  the  authorities  there.  It  was  com- 
posed of  General  Hancock,  commander  of  the  second  corps, 


452  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [AUGUST, 

General  Ayres,  who  commanded  a  division  in  the  fifth  corps, 
and  General  Miles,  who  commanded  a  brigade  in  the  second 
corps.  These  gentlemen  were  officers  in  the  supporting  corps 
on  the  day  of  battle.  Colonel  Schriver,  inspector  general  at 
General  Meade's  headquarters,  was  the  judge  advocate  of  the 
court.  This  body  convened  on  the  6th  of  August,  and  con- 
tinued in  session,  at  different  times,  until  the  9th  of  Septem- 
ber. General  Hancock  presided  at  its  deliberations,  and  is 
understood  to  have  objected  to  the  character  of  its  composition. 
General  Burnside  made  a  formal  protest  to  the  Secretary  of 
War  against  the  constitution  of  the  court,  on  the  ground  that 
the  officers  composing  it  held  commands  in  the  supporting  col- 
umns, which  were  not  brought  into  action  on  the  30th  of  July, 
and  that  the  judge  advocate  was  a  member  of  General  Meade's 
staff.  He  felt  that  he  had  a  right  to  a-k  that,  if  an  investiea- 
tion  were  made,  it  should  be  by  officer-;  who  did  not  belong  to 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  were  not  selected  by  General 
Meade.  He  did  not  shrink  from  investigation,  but  desired  that 
it  should  be  removed  from  even  a  suspicion  of  partiality.  Mr. 
Stanton  did  not  perceive  the  force  of  the  objection,  and  assured 
General  Burnside  that  he  micdit  feel  entire  confidence  in  the 
fairness  and  justice  of  the  President  in  reviewing  the  case.  "  The 
action  of  the  board  of  inquiry,"  said  Mr.  Stanton,  "  will  be 
merely  to  collect  facts  for  the  President's  information."  The 
court,  in  accordance  with  the  order,  proceeded  to  investigate 
the  matter,  and  on  the  seventeenth  day  of  its  session,  delivered 
its  decision.  It  becomes  necessary  to  examine  the  "  finding  " 
and  "  opinion  "  which  were  expressed,  and  the  testimony  upon 
which  they  were  based. 

The  court  declared  the  causes  of  failure  to  be  "  the  injudi- 
cious formation  of  the  troops  in  going  forward,  the  movement 
being  mainly  by  flank  instead  of  extended  front ;"  "  the  halt- 
ing of  the  troops  in  the  crater  instead  of  going  forward  to  the 
crest;"  "  no  proper  employment  of  engineer  officers  and  work- 
ing parties  and  of  materials  for  their  use ;"  an  improper  direc- 
tion of  some  parts  of  the  assaulting  columns,  and  "  the  want 


1864.]  INQUIRY    AND    INVESTIGATION.  453 

of  a  competent  common  head  at  the  scene  of  the  assault,  to  di- 
rect affairs  as  occurrences  should  demand."  The  opinion  of 
the  court  was,  that  the  "  following  named  officers  were  answer- 
able for  the  want  of  success  :  Major  General  A.  E.  Burnside, 
Brigadier  General  J-  H.  Ledlie,  Brigadier  General  Edward 
Ferrero,  Colonel  Z.  K.  Bliss,  and  Brigadier  General  O.  B. 
Willcox."  General  Burnside  was  answerable  because  he  failed 
to  obey  the  orders  of  the  commanding  general.  "1.  In  not 
giving  such  formation  to  his  assaulting  columns  as  to  insure  a 
reasonable  prospect  of  success ;  2.  In  not  preparing  his  para- 
pets and  abatis  for  the  passage  of  the  columns  of  assault ; 
3.  In  not  employing  engineer  officers,  who  reported  to  him,  to 
lead  the  assaulting  columns  with  working  parties,  and  not  caus- 
ing to  be  provided  proper  materials  necessary  for  crowning  the 
crest ;  4.  In  neglecting  to  execute  Major  General  Meade's  or- 
ders, respecting  the  prompt  advance  of  General  Ledlie's  troops 
from  the  crater  to  the  crest ;  or,  in  default  of  accomplishing 
that,  not  causing  those  troops  to  fall  back  and  give  place  to 
others,  instead  of  delaying  until  the  opportunity  passed  away." 
General  Ledlie  was  answerable  because  he  '•  failed  to  push 
forward  his  division  promptly,  according  to  orders,  thereby 
blocking  up  the  avenue  which  was  designed  for  the  passage 
of"  the  supporting  troops  ;  and  also  because,  instead  of  being 
with  his  division  in  the  crater,  "  he  was  most  of  the  time  in  a 
bomb  proof  ten  rods  in  the  rear  of  the  main  line  of  the  Ninth 
Corps."  General  Ferrero  was  answerable  because  his  troops 
were  not  ready  for  the  attack  at  the  prescribed  time,  because 
he  did  not  go  with  them  to  the  attack,  and  because  he  was 
"  habitually  in  a  bomb  proof."  Colonel  Bliss  was  answerable 
because  "  he  remained  behind  with  the  only  regiment  of  his 
brigade  which  did  not  go  forward  according  to  the  orders  and 
occupied  a  position  where  he  could  not  see  what  was  going  on." 
General  Willcox  was  answerable  because  he  did  not  exercise 
sufficient  energy  in  causing  his  troops  to  go  forward  to  Cem- 
etery Hill.  The  court  also  expressed  the  opinion  in  language, 
the  severity  of  which  is  but  partially  disguised  in  its  softness, 


454  LAST    YEAR    OF   THE   REBELLION.  [August, 

that  "  explicit  orders  should  have  been  given,  assigning  one 
officer  to  the  command  of  all  the  troops  intended  to  engage  in 
the  assault,  when  the  commanding  general  was  not  present  in 
person  to  witness  the  operations." 

To  support  this  finding  and  opinion,  the  court  examined 
Generals  Grant,  Meade,  Burnside,  Warren,  Humphreys,  Ord, 
Hunt,  Potter,  Willcox,  Ferrero,  Griffin,  Hartranft,  Mott,  Ames, 
Ayres,  and  a  number  of  other  inferior  officers.  But  no  officers 
on  General  Burnside's  staff  were  brought  before  the  court  to 
testify  in  the  case.*  It  is  singular  to  observe  how  inconclu- 
sively the  opinion  of  the  court  follows  from  the  testimony  ad- 
duced. 

General  Meade,  testifying  in  his  own  behalf,  was  strangely 
inconsistent  with  himself  in  the  evidence  which  he  offered. 
He  submitted  to  the  court  his  orders  on  the  day  of  battle, 
some  of  which  have  already  been  quoted,  and  by  which  it  dis- 
tinctly appears  that  he  directed  every  moment  that  was  made. 
The  substance  of  his  testimony  in  other  respects  was,  that  he 
disapproved  of  the  location  of  the  mine  and  General  Burnside's 
plan  of  attack  ;  that  he  had  one  or  more  staff  officers  at  Gen- 
eral Burnside's  headquarters  in  the  front ;  that  he  learned,  be- 
fore eio-ht  o'clock  in  the  morning,  that  General  Griffin  had 
made  an  attack  on  the  right  of  the  crater  and  had  been  repulsed  ; 
that  the  first  positive  information  which  he  received  that  there 
was  any  enemy  in  front  or  "  present "  was  not  before  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning ;  that  he  had  ordered  the  troops  with- 
drawn whenever  that  could  be  done  with  security  ;  that,  sub- 
sequently to  the  battle,  he  remained  in  "  total  ignorance  of  any 
further  transactions  until  about  six  or  seven  o'clock  in  the  eve- 
ning: ;"  that  he  did  not  go  forward  to  the  front  to  witness  the 
action  at  any  time  ;  and  that,  in  fine,  he  had  "  been  groping  in 
the  dark  since  the  commencement  of  the  attack."  Comment 
upon  such  testimony  is  wholly  needless. 


*  It  was  stated  at  the  time  that  the  staff  officers  expected  to  testify  were  ill. 
But  they  were  ready  to  go  before  the  court  previous  to  its  final  adjournment. 


1864.]  INQUIRY    AND    INVESTIGATION.  455 

The  testimony  of  General  Burnside  and  that  of  his  division 
and  brigade  commanders,  is  positive  in  relation  to  the  fidelity 
that  was  manifested  by  the  commander  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  in 
his  endeavors  to  execute  the  commands  of  General  Meade. 
The  formation  of  his  assaulting  column  must  have  been  deter- 
mined by  the  officers  having  the  immediate  direction  of  the  at- 
tack, and  must  have  been  influenced  by  the  condition  of  the 
ground.  That  the  troops  marched  by  the  flank,  instead  of  an 
extended  front,  must  have  been  due  to  other  causes  than  the 
failure  of  General  Burnside  to  obey  the  orders  of  General 
Meade.  General  Burnside's  battle  order  to  his  division  officers, 
through  whom  alone  it  could  be  executed,  was  as  clear  as  Gen- 
eral Meade's  order  to  him.  Surely,  General  Burnside  was  not 
responsible  for  the  failure  of  any  subordinate  officer  to  obey  his 
orders,  any  more  than  General  Meade  would  have  been,  in 
case  of  neglect  on  the  part  of  any  of  his  corps  commanders.  A 
comparison  of  the  two  battle  orders  shows  that  General  Burn- 
side did  all  that  was  possible  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  his 
chief.  Indeed,  the  formation  was  not  altogether  by  the  flank. 
General  Hartranft  testified  that  he  "  formed  his  command, 
which  was  immediately  in  rear  of  the  first  division,  in  one  or 
two  regiments  front.'"  He  "  put  two  small  regiments  together." 
General  Hartranft  was  a  capital  officer,  and  it  was  General 
Burnside's  misfortune  that  as  good  an  officer  was  not  in  com- 
mand of  the  first  division. 

The  second  point  which  the  court  made,  in  regard  to  the 
preparation  for  the  passage  of  the  assaulting  columns,  was  not 
well  taken.  The  testimony  shows  that  there  was  no  particular 
necessity  for  the  leveling  of  the  parapets.  The  abatis  was  so 
much  cut  up  by  the  enemy's  fire  as  to  offer  but  little  obstruc- 
tion to  the  advance.  General  Willcox  declared  that  "  what 
was  left  of  it  when  his  division  passed  over  was  no  obstacle 
whatever."  The  evidence  is  positive  upon  that  point,  and  the 
delay  of  the  troops  in  passing  out  of  the  lines  was  very  brief. 
Captain  Farquhar,  the  chief  engineer  of  the  eighteenth  corps, 
testified  that  "  there  seemed  to  be  room  enough  at  "  his  "  sali- 


456  LAST   YEAR    OF   THE   REBELLION.  [August, 

ent  to  pass  over,  certainly  in  regimental  front,"  but  the  passage 
was  not  practicable  for  artillery.  Moreover,  a  greater  number 
of*  troops  passed  out  of  the  lines  than  could  be  handled  upon 
the  ground  which  they  occupied.  It  is  also  to  be  considered 
that  the  attack  was  to  be  of  the  nature  of  a  surprise  ;  that  the 
enemy  was  immediately  in  the  front,  distant  but  a  few  hun- 
dred feet,  and  that  nothing  was  to  be  done  before  the  assault 
which  would  give  him  any  intimation  of  our  intentions. 

The  third  point  which  the  Court  made  against  General  Burn- 
side  in  "  not  causing  to  be  provided  the  necessary  materials 
for  crowning  the  crest,"  is  entirely  discrepant  with  the  testi- 
mony. General  Burnside  testified,  that  an  engineer  regiment 
was  detailed  for  each  division  of  his  corps,  fully  equipped  with 
the  necessary  tools  for  intrenching.  General  Potter  testified, 
that  his  regiment  of  engineers  was  immediately  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  breastwork,  prepared  with  proper  tools  to  level 
the  works  for  the  passage  of  field  batteries,  in  case  the  forward 
movement  was  successful ;  that  axes,  spades  and  picks  were  pro- 
vided, and  the  chevaux  de  frise  on  the  enemy's  lines  for  two  or 
three  hundred  yards  was  broken  down.  General  Griffin  testi- 
fied, that  he  had  in  his  brigade  a  pioneer  corps  with  the  proper 
tools.  Major  Randall  testified,  that  he  thought  he  saw  the 
25th  Massachusetts  near  the  crater,  equipped  with  shovels  and 
spades.  The  testimony  which  it  is  presumed  the  Court  relied 
upon  for  its  opinion,  was  indecisive  in  its  character.  The  wit- 
nesses were  Major  Duane  and  Lieutenant  Beuyaurd.  To  the 
question,  whether  any  working  parties  accompanied  the  troops 
Major  Duane  answered,  that  he  did  not  know  ;  neither  did  he 
know,  whether  or  not  any  arrangements  were  made  "for  facilita- 
ting the  debouch  of  the  troops  from  our  lines,  and  their  .passage 
over  the  enemy's  parapets."  Lieutenant  Beuyaurd  was  equally 
ignorant.  He  did  not  know  that  there  were  working  parties 
for  the  assaulting  columns,  nor  that  there  were  any  prepara- 
tions made  in  the  way  of  collecting  gabions,  picks,  shovels,  axes 
or  other  tools.  These  wholly  inconclusive  statements  were  al- 
lowed to  outweigh  the  positive  testimony  offered  on  the  other 


1864.]  INQUIRY    AND    INVESTIGATION.  457 

side.  It  is  true,  that  General  Burnside  did  not  employ  the 
engineer  officer  who  was  sent  to  him,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
he  preferred  his  own  judgment. 

The  fourth  point  which  the  court  made,  in  regard  to  the 
alleged  neglect  in  executing  General  Meade's  orders,  to  push 
forward  General  Ledlie's  troops  from  the  crater  to  the  crest,  is 
not  supported  by  any  testimony  that  was  offered.  On  the 
contrary,  Surgeon  Chubb  testified,  that  General  Ledlie  received 
orders  in  his  hearing,  "  to  move  his  troops  forward  from  where 
they  were  then  lying,"  and  that  General  Ledlie  "  frequently 
sent  up  aides  to  have  them  moved  forward."  Surely  it  could 
not  have  been  expected,  that  General  Burnside  should  assume 
in  person  the  direction  of  General  Ledlie's  division.  In  fact, 
the  court  in  censuring  General  Ledlie  based  its  condemnation 
of  that  officer  upon  his  neglect  to  report  the  condition  of  affairs 
to  his  commander.  Thus  General  Burnside  was  censured  for 
not  sending  General  Ledlie's  troops  forward,  and  General  Led- 
lie was  censured  for  failing  to  give  the  information  upon  which 
General  Burnside  was  expected  to  act.  Again,  General  Burn- 
side was  considered  answerable  for  the  failure,  because  he  did 
not  withdraw  General  Ledlie's  troops  in  order  to  give  place  to 
others.  But  it  was  manifestly  impossible  to  withdraw  the 
troops,  while  General  Meade  was  continually  ordering  them 
forward.  The  opinion  of  the  court,  therefore,  so  far  as  Gen- 
eral Burnside  was  concerned,  fails  in  every  point  to  correspond 
with  the  testimony. 

General  Ledlie  was  undoubtedly  in  fault  for  not  accompany- 
ing his  division,  and  pushing  it  forward  according  to  orders. 
He  declares,  that  at  the  time  he  was  suffering  from  illness. 
But,  if  such  were  the  case  he  should  have  asked  to  be  relieved, 
that  some  other  more  efficient  officer  might  direct  his  troops. 
No  objection,  therefore,  can  be  made  to  the  opinion  of  the  court 
in  his  case.  It  is  but  fair,  however,  that  General  Ledlie  should 
be  heard  in  his  own  defence.  In  a  letter  to  the  Army  and 
Navy  Journal  of  March  18,  1865 — after  reciting  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Loring's  evidence  before  the  Committee  of  Congress,  to 

58 


458  LAST   TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.         [Septembee, 

the  effect  that  the  first  division  moved  with  promptness,  but 
that  the  troops  in  going  into  the  crater  could  not  maintain  their 
organization,  and  that  he  reported  the  fact  to  the  division  com- 
mander— General  Ledlie  proceeds  :  "  On  receiving  the  report 
from  Colonel  Loring,  I  immediately  issued  the  proper  orders, 
and  took  the  necessary  steps  for  relieving  the  confused  condition 
of  the  division.  I  am  perfectly  willing  that  the  record  of  my 
conduct  should  stand  upon  this  sworn  statement  made  by  Colo- 
nel Loring,  with  the  simple  addition  of  the  fact  that  my  life  was 
saved  on  that  occasion  only  because  the  ball  which  struck  my 
person  had  not  force  enough  to  penetrate  my  watch.  I  was 
stunned  and  temporarily  injured  by  the  force  of  the  ball,  and 
then,  for  the  first  time,  retired  to  regimental  headquarters, 
which  were  being  used  as  a  hospital.  I  stayed  there  but  a  few 
minutes,  and  then  returned  to  my  post,  where  I  remained  until 
we  received  orders  to  withdraw." 

General  Ferrero  absolutely  denied  the  declaration  of  the 
court,  that  he  was  in  a  bomb-proof  during  the  action.  Sur- 
geon Chubb's  testimony  was,  that  General  Ferrero  went  out  of 
the  bomb-proof  after  he  received  the  order  to  move  his  troops 
forward,  and  that  he  returned  to  it  subsequently  to  their  repulse. 
Surgeon  Smith's  testimony  was,  that  General  Ferrero  was  in 
front  of  the  bomb-proof  at  the  time  his  division  charged,  that 
he  accompanied  his  troops  to  the  front  when  they  left,  and  re- 
turned at  the  time  they  came  back.  After  the  opinion  of  the 
court  was  made  public,  General  Ferrero  procured  affidavits 
from  Brevet  Major  Hicks,  Captains  F.  E.Warner,  W  W  Tyson 
and  A.  F  Walcott  and  Lieutenant  Mo  wry,  members  of  his  staff, 
who  positively  swore  that  General  Ferrero  was  not  in  a  bomb- 
proof at  any  time  during  the  action  of  July  30th,  but  was  on  the 
field,  and  within  ten  paces  of  his  command.  Lieutenant  Colo- 
nel Loring,  who  delivered  to  General  Ferrero  the  order  to  ad- 
vance and  who  saw  him  frequently  through  the  day,  deposed 
that  he  was  standing  in  the  front  line  at  the  time  of  the  delivery 
of  the  order  ;  that  he  did  not  see  General  Ferrero  in  a  bomb- 
proof at  any  time,  and  did  not  believe  that  he  was  in  one. 


1864.]  INQUIRY   AND    INVESTIGATION.  459 

Captain  Pell,  who  was  sent  by  General  Burnside  to  General 
Ferrero,  did  not  upon  any  occasion  find  him  in  a  bomb-proof, 
and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Ross  of  the  31st  colored  troops  spoke 
to  General  Ferrero  on  the  field  and  saw  him  cheering  on  his 
men.  Surgeon  Prince  of  the  36th  Massachusetts  and  Captain 
Dimock  deposed  to  the  same  effect.  Whether  these  affidavits 
are  to  be  believed,  in  contradiction  to  the  opinion  of  the  court, 
must  be  left  to  the  judgment  of  the  reader.  There  was  but 
one  witness  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  Colonel  Bliss,,  and  his 
testimony  -was,  as  expressed  m  his  own  words,  that  "  Colonel 
Bliss  remained  with  the  last  regiment  of  his  brigade  and  did 
not  go  forward  at  all  to  "  his  "  knowledge."  The  testimony  in 
regard  to  General  Willcox's  want  of  promptness  was  of  the 
most  general  character  and  related  to  the  crowded  condition  of 
all  the  troops  in  and  about  the  crater — no  mention  being  made 
of  any  neglect  on  the  part  of  General  Willcox  himself. 

From  a  careful  examination  of  the  testimony  and  a  consider- 
ation of  its  ex  parte  character,  from  the  partial  constitution  of  the 
court,  and  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  subject  of  its 
inquiry,  the  fairest  conclusion  to  be  reached  is,  that  its  "opin- 
ion "  is  of  little  authority.  On  one  point,  indeed,  the  court 
may  be  considered  to  have  formed  an  equitable  judgment.  That 
is  its  intimation  of  the  want  of  a  competent  head  upon  the  im- 
mediate scene  of  action.  General  Burnside  was  not  permitted 
to  exercise  the  "  prerogative  "  of  the  commanding  general  of 
the  army — had  even  been  rebuked  upon  the  mere  suspicion  that 
he  had  any  design  to.  do  so — and  General  Meade  fought  the 
battle  by  telegraph,  all  the  while,  to  use  his  own  words,  "grop- 
ing; in  the  dark  from  the  commencement  of  the  attack."  He 
might  as  well  have  been  twenty  miles  away.  When  it  was 
suggested  by  General  Warren,  he  refused  to  go  forward  where 
he  could  see  and  know  what  was  doing  in  the  front.  His  rea- 
son for  declining  was,  that  his  position  had  been  taken  and  was 
within  telegraphic  communication  of  all  the  corps,  and  there- 
fore, there  was  no  necessity  for  going  to  the  front.  Why  not 
then  have  remained  at  his  own  headquarters  instead  of  visiting 


460  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Decembek, 

those  of  the  Ninth  Corps?  Such  a  reason  could  avail  in  no 
way  to  excuse  his  fighting  a  battle,  without  seeing  a  single 
soldier  who  was  engaged.  Did  ever  a  great  captain  direct  an 
action  so  ? 

The  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War  also  made  an  in- 
vestigation and  report  concerning  this  unfortunate  transaction. 
The  committee  met,  at  different  times,  from  December  17th, 
1864,  to  January  16th,  1865.  The  principal  witnesses  who 
had  been  before  the  court  of  inquiry  were  also  examined  by 
the  committee.  Besides  these,  Lieutenant  Colonels  Loring  and 
Van  Buren,  of  General  Burnside's  staff,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Pleasants  added  their  testimony.  The  evidence  was  more  com- 
plete and  clear  than  that  offered  before  the  court.  The  officers 
expressed  their  opinions  with  greater  freedom,  and  the  ques- 
tions which  were  put  by  the  committee  were  more  thorough 
and  searching  in  their  character.  General  Meade's  testimony, 
which  has  already  been  commented  upon,  was  somewhat  con- 
tradictory to  itself  in  different  parts.  General  Grant's  evi- 
dence contained  a  very  remarkable  admission.  He  said,  "I 
came  to  the  south  side  of  the  river  before  the  explosion  took 
place,  and  remained  with  General  Meade  until  probably  a  half 
or  three-quarters  of  an  hour  after  the  springing  of  the  mine. 
I  then  rode  down  to  front ;  that  is,  I  rode  down  as  far  as  I 
could  on  horseback,  and  went  through  to  the  front  on  foot.  I 
there  found  that  we  had  lost  the  opportunity  which  had  been 
given  us."  This  statement  deserves  something  more  than  a 
passing  consideration.  General  Grant,  by  his  own  showing, 
must  have  been  at  the  front  as  early  as  six  o'clock.  At  that 
time,  he  considered  that  the  opportunity  had  passed.  He  had 
the  supreme  control.  The  query  now  arises,  Why  did  he  not 
order  the  troops  to  be  withdrawn  ?  That  would  seem  to  have 
been  his  imperative  duty.  Yet  the  fact  remains  that  the  troops 
were  permitted  to  go  forward  under  General  Meade's  orders, 
to  crowd  into  the  crater,  and  to  remain  there  at  least  three 
hours  subsequent  to  the  time  when,  in  General  Grant's  judg- 
ment, the  opportunity  of  victory  was  lost.     General  Grant  was 


1864.]  INQUIRY    AND    INVESTIGATION.  461 

especially  severe  upon  General  Ledlie,  whom  he  was  disposed  to 
consider  mostly  answerable  for  the  failure.  Pie  blamed  himself 
for  allowing  General  Burnside  to  put  General  Ledlie  in  charge 
of  the  assaulting  column.  It  is  evident  from  his  testimony  and 
from  that  of  General  Meade,  that  the  subject  of  employing  the 
colored  troops  to  lead  the  attaek  was  not  properly  presented  to 
his  mind.  In  one  breath  he  approves  General  Meade's  order, 
and  in  another  he  declares  that  the  attack  would  probably  have 
succeeded,  if  made  by  the  colored  division. 

General  Warren  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  "  there  should 
have  been  two  independent  columns,  to.  have  rushed  in  imme- 
diately after  the  explosion  of  the  mine,  and  to  have  swept  down 
the  enemy's  lines  right  and  left,  clearing  away  all  his  artillery 
and  infantry  by  attacking  in  the  flank  and  rear.  This  would 
have  allowed  the  main  column  to  have  followed  on  to  the  main 
crest  rapidly  and  without  molestation."  The  failure  was  caused 
by  the  delay  of  the  attacking  column  to  advance  to  the  Cem- 
etery hill.  The  testimony  before  the  committee,  as  well  as 
that  before  the  court,  was  positive  and  clear  in  regard  to  Genr 
eral  Burnside's  repeated  directions  to  his  division  commanders 
to  send  their  troops  forward  to  the  crest.  He  evidently  did  all 
that  could  be  done,  except  leading  them  in  person  beyond  the 
crater.  That  was  a  task  which  he  could  hardly  have  been  ex- 
pected by  any  one  to  perform. 

The  committee,  after  a  review  of  the  testimony,  and  a  careful 
recital  of  the  facts,  express  their  opinion  in  decisive  terms. 
"  In  conclusion,"  they  say,  "  the  cause  of  the  disastrous  result 
of  the  assault  of  the  30th  of  July  last  is  mainly  attributable  to 
the  fact,  that  the  plans  and  suggestions  of  the  general  who  had 
devoted  his  attention  for  so  long  a  time  to  the  subject,  who  had 
carried  out  to  so  successful  completion  the  project  of  mining 
the  enemy's  works,  and  who  had  carefully  selected  and  drilled 
his  troops,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  whatever  advantages 
might  be  attainable  from  the  explosion  of  the  mine,  should 
have  been  so  entirely  disregarded  by  a  general  who  had  evinced 
no  faith  in  the  successful  prosecution  of  that  work,  had  aided 


462  LAST   YEAR   OP   THE   REBELLION.  [Feb.,  1863. 

it  by  no  countenance  or  open  approval,  and  had  assumed  the 
entire  direction  and  control  only  when  it  was  completed,  and 
the  time  had  come  for  reaping  any  advantage  that  might  be 
derived  from  it."  This  report  was  submitted  to  the  Senate  on 
the  6th  of  February,  1865,  and  wa's  ordered  to  be  printed. 
With  its  conclusions,  rather  than  with  the  opinion  of  the  court 
of  inquiry,  a  fair  and  impartial  mind  will  be  likely  to  agree. 


Aug.,  1864.]  BEGINNING   OF  THE   END.  463 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE     BEGINNING     OF     THE     END. 

FOE  the  next  few  weeks  after  the  explosion  of  the  mine 
the  two  opposing  armies  in  front  of  Petersburg  lay  in 
comparative  quiet.  General  Lee  had  detached  a  force  in  the 
early  part  of  July  to  make  a  diversion  by  way  of  the  Shenan- 
doah valley  upon  Maryland.  To  meet  and  counteract  this 
movement  General  Grant  despatched  the  sixth  corps  from  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  to  Washington  and  its  neighborhood. 
The  ninteenth  corps,  opportunely  arriving  from  the  South,  was 
also  sent  in  that  direction.  On  the  7th  of  August,  General 
Sheridan  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  forces  in  that 
quarter  and  soon  afterwards  inaugurated  a  very  brilliant  cam- 
paign in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  the  details  of  which  do  not 
properly  come  within  the  province  of  this  narrative. 

On  the  13th  of  August  General  Burnside  was  granted  leave 
of  absence  from  the  Ninth  Corps,  and  immediately  left  the  army 
for  his  home  in  Providence.  He  was  not  again  called  into 
active  service  during  the  continuance  of  the  war.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln refused  to  accept  his  resignation,  awaiting  some  oppor- 
tunity for  sending  him  again  into  the  field.  Immediately  be- 
fore the  accession  of  Mr.  Johnson  to  the  presidential  chair  the 
resignation  was  once  more  tendered  and  was  accepted  by  the 
new  President  on  the  15th  of  April.  After  the  elose  of  the  war, 
General  Burnside  engaged  in  business  in  New  York  and  at  the 
West.  In  the  spring  of  1866,  the  people  of  Rhode  Island  de- 
manded an  opportunity  of  expressing   their   approval  of  the 


464  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [1866. 

course  of  their  favorite  soldier.  On  the  30th  of  March  Gene- 
ral Burnside  was  nominated,  and  on  the  4th  of  April  was 
elected,  Governor  of  Ehode  Island.  On  the  29th  of  May  he 
was  inaugurated  into  his  high  office  at  Newport,  amid  a  more 
general  and  enthusiastic  expression  of  public  feeling  than  had 
ever  been  observed  in  the  State. 

When  General  Burnside  left  the  Ninth  Corps  he  carried  with 
him  the  esteem  and  affection  of  every  officer  and  soldier  in  its 
ranks.  It  has  been  a  source  of  extreme  gratification  to  the 
writer  of  this  volume  during  its  preparation,  that  all  the  letters 
which  have  been  received  from  the  members  of  the  Corps  have 
contained  the  warmest  expressions  of  affectionate  esteem  for 
their  former  commander.  "  I  hope,"  writes  one,  "  you  will  not 
fail  to  speak  of  the  love  and  respect  as  well  as  confidence  enter- 
tained towards  General  Burnside  by  all  his  command.  Your 
book  will  not  be  a  complete  history  of  the  Corps  until  this  is 
done."  This  is  the  uniform  tenor  of  every  communication.  It 
is  a  grateful  testimony  to  the  impression  which  General  Burn- 
side's  worth  of  character  has  made  upon  all  who  have  been 
associated  with  him.  There  have  indeed  been  those  who  have 
attempted  to  decry  and  malign  him.  No  man  can  escape  de- 
traction. Professional  jealousy  will  always  point  the  shafts  of 
calumny,  but  from  the  true  and  faithful  man,  armored  with  a 
pui'e  conscience  and  faithfulness  to  duty,  they  fall  harmless. 
He  who  directs  them  receives  the  greatest  injury.  They  al- 
ways recoil  upon  the  hand  from  which  they  were  sent.  He 
who  wishes  to  detract  from  a  fair  and  well  earned  fame,  proves 
himself  to  be  deficient  in  true  nobility  of  character,  and  incapable 
of  appreciating  it  when  manifested  by  another.  A  generous 
nature  is  never  unwilling  to  acknowledge  the  merit  even  of  a 
rival. 

General  Burnside  left  the  Corps  in  good  hands.  General 
Parke  succeeded  to  the  command  and  retained  it  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  winning  for  himself  great  distinction  as  a  brave  and 
able  officer.  Immediately  after  the  battle  of  July  30th,  Gene- 
ral Ledlie  was  relieved  from  the  command  of  the  first  division 


1864.]  BEGINNING   OF   THE   END.  465 

and  General  White  was  appointed  in  his  stead.*  Generals 
Willcox  and  Potter  had  earned  their  brevets  of  Major  General 
by  their  faithful  service  during  the  campaign,  and  were  accord- 
ingly promoted,  to  date  from  the  1st  of  August.  General 
Grant,  in  his  movements  to  envelope  the  enemy's  defences) 
threw  portions  of  his  army,  at  one  time  to  the  north  of  the 
James,  at  another  to  the  south  of  Petersburg,  Step  by  step 
during  the  subsequent  months,  he  graduallyj^.tended  his  lines 
in  both  directions.  Every  movement  met  with  strenuous  resis- 
tance, and  it  was  only  by  dint  of  hard  fighting  that  any  im- 
portant advantage  was  gained.  The  Ninth  Corps  participated 
in  some  of  the  movements  towards  the  south  which  had  for 
their  object  the  seizure  of  the  enemy's  main  line  of  railroad 
communication. 

On  the  18th  of  August  the  fifth  corps,«which  was  posted  in 
our  lines  on  the  left  of  the  Ninth,  broke  camp  and  marched  to- 
wards the  Weldon  railroad,  The  Ninth  Corps  moved  to  the 
left  and  held  the  vacated  position  of  the  fifth.  The  eighteenth 
corps  moved  down  to  the  old  lines  of  the  Ninth.  The  advance 
of  the"  fifth  corps  struck  the  Weldon  railroad  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  at  Six-mile  Station,  and  immediately 
set  to  work  to  destroy  the  track.  The  remainder  of  the  corps 
moved  to  the  right  for  two  or  three  miles  and  took  position  to 
protect  the  working  parties.  At  noon  the  enemy  appeared  and 
»made  a  very  spirited  attack,  in  which  our  troops  were  severely 
handled.  During  the  night  and  following  day  the  line  was 
strengthened,  but  on  the  19th  the  enemy  became  so  menacing 
in  his  demonstrations,  that  reinforcements  were  needed.  Gen- 
eral Parke  sent  the  divisions  of  Generals  White,  Potter  and 
Willcox  to  the  assistance  of  General  Warren.  General  Will- 
cox arrived  first  upon  the  ground  and  was  posted  upon  the 
right  of  the  line.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  enemy 
under  General  A.  P  Hill  made  a  furious  charge.  General  Ma- 
hone's  division  was  directed  upon  General tWillcox's  command. 

*General  Ledlie  resigned  on  the  lGth  of  January,  1865.     General  White  re* 
signed  November  19, 1864. 
59 


466  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [AUGUST, 

General  Hartranft's  brigade  was  formed  upon  the  right  and 
Colonel  Humphrey's  on  the  left.  They  steadily  held  their 
ground  and  beat  back  every  attempt  to  break  their  lines.  The 
fifth  corps,  however,  was  not  so  fortunate,  and  General  Craw- 
ford's division  suffered  a  severe  loss.  Our  centre  was  in  danger 
of  giving  way,  when  General  Potter  and  General  White  arrived 
most  opportunely  on  the  ground.  Their  troops  had  had  a  most 
wearisome  march;,  but  were  immediately  formed,  charged  the 
enemy  and  restored  the  battle.  The  presence  of  the  Ninth 
Corps  at  once  decided  the  conflict  in  our  favor,  and  the  enemy 
was  repulsed.  The  Corps  captured  two  hundred  prisoners  and 
a  color.  The  position  was  secured  and  strengthened  during 
the  night.  The  Ninth  Corps  occupied  the  line  extending  from 
the  fifth  corps  on  the  Weldon  railroad  to  the  left  of  the  second 
corps  near  the  Jerusalem  plank  road.  The  ground  thus  gal- 
lantly wrested  from  the  foe  was  intrenched  and  became  a  part 
of  our  defences.  But  the  enemy  was  unwilling  to  rest  easy  under 
the  loss  which  he  had  suffered.  On  the  21st  he  came  down 
upon  our  lines  and  attacked  with  renewed  vigor,  charging 
nearly  up  to  the  breastworks.  Once  and  again  he  advanced 
only  to  be  repulsed  with  great  slaughter.  It  was  a  desperate 
contest  and  a  decided  victory  for  our  troops.  General  Potter's 
division  participated  in  this  brilliant  defence.  The  losses  in 
the  Corps  on  these  two  days  of  fighting  amounted  to  about  five 
hundred,  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  On  the  27th  the" 
fourth  division  which  had  been  left  in  the  old  lines  was  moved 
to  the  left,  joined  the  command  and  was  efficiently  engaged  in 
constructing  redoubts,  slashing  timber  and  otherwise  strength- 
ening the  works. 

The  arduous  duties  which  had  fallen  upon  the  first  division, 
had  reduced  the  numbers  of  this  gallant  body  of  men  to  such 
an  extent,  as  to  make  a  reorganization  of  the  Corps  desirable. 
Scarcely  a  moiety  of  the  officers  and  men  remained  in  those 
regiments  which  had  left  Annapolis  with  full  ranks.  They 
had  borne  an  honorable  part  in  every  action  since  the  opening 
of  the  campaign,  and  had  left  on  every  battle  field  the  evidences 


1884.]  BEGINNING    OF   THE   END.  467 

of  their  heroic  self-sacrifice.  It  now  became  necessary  to  merge 
the  troops  of  the  first  division  with  those  of  the  second  and 
third.  The  troops  were  divided  but  the  name  was  retained. 
General  White  was  relieved,  and  General  Willcox  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  first  division  and  General  Potter  in  com- 
mand of  the  second  as  thus  compacted.  The  colored  troops 
formed  the  third  division  and  retained  their  organization. 

The  month  of  September  passed  quietly  away.  The  Ninth 
Corps  had  the  opportunity  of  rest.  No  •  severer  duty  was  re- 
quired than  the  strengthening  of  the  positions  already  gained. 
Towards  the  close  of  the  month  there  were  indications  of  more 
active  service.  A  further  prolongation  of  our  lines  to  the 
left  had  been  determined  upon,  and  the  Ninth  Corps  was  des- 
tined to  take  part  in  the  movement.  On  the  28th  the  first  and 
second  divisions  were  massed  in  preparation  for  the  advance, 
and  on  the  30th  the  troops  moved  out  of  their  encampment. 
General  Parke  was  to  cooperate  with  General  Warren  in  an 
endeavor  to  secure  the  intersection  of  the  Poplar  Spring  and 
Squirrel  Level  roads.  When  that  point  was  gained,  the  com- 
mand was  to  open  a  road  across  a  swamp  in  the  rear  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  Pegram  estate  below  the  Poplar  Spring  church. 
General  Warren  came  in  contact  with  the  enemy  about  noon 
near  Peebles'  farm.  The  rebel  forces  were  posted  in  a  strong 
position  on  a  ridge  of  a  range  of  hills.  General  Charles  Grif- 
fin's division  made  a  gallant  attack,  forced  the  lines  and  cap- 
tured one  gun  and  a  small  number  of  prisoners. 

The  enemy  retired  to  an  intrenched  position  about  half  a  mile 
in  the  rear  of  his  former  line.  General  Parke  moved  up  to  the 
support  of  General  Warren  and  pressing  beyond  the  Peebles 
farm,  marched  through  a  belt  of  timber  and  came  out  in  a  large 
clearing  in  which  stood  the  Pegram  house.  General  Potter's 
division  moved  beyond  the  house,  entered  the  timber  and  at- 
tempted to  advance  up  the  acclivity  upon  which- the  enemy 
was  posted.  General  S.  G.  Griffin's  brigade  made  the  attack, 
but  was  met  by  a  counter  charge  in  superior  numbers.  The 
enemy's  line  overlapped  our  own,  broke  in  between  the  Ninth 


468  LAST   YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Sbptbmbee, 

Corps  and  the  fifth,  threw  General  Potter's  line  into  confusion 
and  swept  from  the  field  a  thousand  prisoners  or  more.  At  one 
time  it  seemed  as  though  the  entire  division  would  be  broken 
in  pieces  ;  but  the  steadiness,  with  which  the  7th  Ehode  Island, 
under  the  command  of  Brevet  Colonel  Daniels,  held  the  left 
flank,  prevented  such  a  disaster  and  aided  General  Potter  in 
reestablishing  his  disordered  ranks.  General  Willcox's  division, 
promptly  coming  up  in  support,  enabled  the  first  division  to 
rally  and  reform.  At  this  critical  moment,  General  Charles 
Griffin's  division  was  hurried  forward  promptly,  attacked  and 
completely  stopped  the  advancing  foe.  Night  coming  on  put 
an  end  to  the  engagement.  The  Ninth  Corps  moved  to  the 
line  of  works  which  had  been  captured  from  the  enemy  at  the 
Peebles  farm.  The  right  connected  with  the  fifth  corps  ;  the 
left  was  refused  covering  the  Squirrel  Level  road.  This  position 
was  intrenched  and  held.  The  fruit  of  the  day's  operation  was 
an  extension  of  our  lines  for  a  distance  of  about  three  miles  be- 
yond the  Weldon  railroad.  The  casualties  of  the  Ninth  Corps 
were  sixty-seven  killed,  four  hundred  and  eighteen  wounded, 
and  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  nine  missing — much  the 
larger  portion  of  which  fell  upon  General  Potter's  division. 
Towards  niglft  a  severe  rain-storm  set  in  and  continued  through 
the  subsequent  day.  In  front  of  the  Ninth  Corps  all  was  quiet, 
but  the  fifth  was  attacked  in  the  morning;  and  as;ain  in  the  after- 
noon.  In  both  instances  the  enemy  was  signally  repulsed  with 
great  loss. 

On  the  2d  of  October  a  reconnaissance  was  made  by  the 
second  and  Ninth  Obrps.  The  enemy  was  found  in  force  cov- 
ering the  Boydton  plank  road.  Our  intrenched  line  was  re- 
turned running  through  the  Pegram  farm.  On  the  4th  Gene- 
ral Ferrero's  division  was  moved  up  and  joined  the  Corps.  By 
the  able  and  willing  help  of  the  colored  troops  the  work  of 
intrenchment  was  pressed  with  renewed  vigor.  Two  redoubts 
were  thrown  up  on  the  front  line,  three  on  the  flank,  and  two  on 
the  rear  with  strong  infantry  parapet  connections  and  heavy 
slashing  in  front.     Nothing  more  important  than  the  usual  pick- 


1864.1  BEGINNING   OF   THE   END.  469 

et  firing  took  place  for  several  days,  but  on  the  8th,  a  demon- 
stration was  made  upon  the  Squirrel  Level  road  by  two  brig- 
ades of  the  first  division,  under  the  personal  direction  of  Gen- 
eral Willcox.  The  enemy  was  found  at  all  points  in  front  and 
on  the  alert.  The  advanced  picket  line  was  established  and  Gen- 
eral Willcox  returned.  The  affair  cost  the  Corps  a  loss  of  three 
killed  and  thirteen  wounded.  In  these  operations,  General 
Parke  ascertained  that  the  morale  of  the  command  was  suffer- 
ing, and  its  efficiency  was  reduced  by  the  presence  of  conscripts, 
substitutes  and  "bounty jumpers."  The  veterans  in  every  en- 
gagement added  to  their  former  fame,  but  many  of  the  new 
recruits  were  found  sadly  deficient  in  the  qualities  of  the  sol- 
dier. Notwithstanding  this  unfavorable  circnmstance,  the 
Corps  performed  a  very  creditable  work  in  the  engagements 
upon  the  extreme  left  of  the  army. 

The  month  of  October  was  occupied  in  strengthening  the 
position  which  we  had  gained  upon  the  left.  The  gain  was 
permanent.  Our  forces  could  not  indeed  dislodge  the  enemy 
from  his  strong  ^position  along  the  Boydton  plank  road,  but 
they  established  their  lines  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  it,  and 
within  three  miles  of  the  South  side  railroad.  The  brilliant 
operations  of  General  Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  gave 
fresh  encouragement  to  the  army  in  front  of  Petersburg.  Gen- 
eral Grant  determined  to  make  another  effort  against  the  ene- 
my's works  upon  our  left.  It  was  known  that  the  line  of 
Hatcher's  run  was  fortified,  but  General  Grant  hoped  that  the 
defences  might  be  turned.  The  movement  by  the  flank  was 
entrusted  to  General  Hancock.  Meanwhile,  the  Ninth  and 
the  fifth  corps  were. to  make  demonstrations  in  front.  The 
Ninth  Corps  was  in  position  on  the  extreme»left  of  the  army, 
holding  the  line  through  the  Pegram  farm,  refusing  on  the  left 
flank  and  then  returning  on  the  rear.  On  the  27th,  General 
Willcox  moved  out  his  division  at  three  and  a  half  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  General  Ferrero's  division  followed  immediately, 
and  General  Potter's  brought  up  the  rear.  By  daylight,  the  en- 
tire corps  was  marching  quickly  down  the  Squirrel  Level  road. 


470  LAST    YEAR    OP   THE   REBELLION.  [Octobee, 

Colonel  Cutcheon's  brigade  was  sent  forward  in  advance,  with 
the  design  of  capturing  the  enemy's  videttes,  and,  if  possible, 
of  surprising  the  forces  covering  the  Boydton  road.  Both  de- 
signs failed  ;  the  first  by  a  premature  discharge  of  a  musket, 
which  alarmed  the  enemy's  outposts,  and  the  second  by  the 
vigilance  of  the  rebel  troops. 

The  works  in  front  of  Hatcher's  run  were  found  to  be  strongly 
constructed,  and  protected  with  abatis  and  slashed  timber. 
The  Ninth  Corps  was  deployed,  with  General  Willcox's  divi- 
sion on  the  left,  General  Ferrero's  in  the  centre,  and  General 
Potter  on  the  right  and  in  support.  General  Willcox  formed 
his  division  with  Colonel  Cutcheon's  brigade  in  the  centre,  and 
the  brigades  of  Generals  Hartranft  and  McLaughlin  on  the 
flank.  General  Ferrero  formed  his  division  with  Colonel 
Bates's  brigade  on  the  left  and  Colonel  KusselPs  on  the  right. 
In  front,  were  thick  woods,  with  a  heavy  undergrowth. 
Through  these  General  Ferrero  advanced,  driving  in  the  ene- 
my's skirmishers,  until  within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  rebel 
works.  There  the  fallen  timber  and  the  abatis  were  impedi- 
ments too  difficult  to  overcome.  General  Ferrero  intrenched 
and  held  his  ground.  General  Willcox  found  no  opportunity  of 
piercing  the  enemy's  line.  Nothing  was  to  be  done  except  to 
intrench  in  turn.  The  object  to  be  accomplished  was  to  oc- 
cupy the  attention  of  the  foe  while  General  Hancock  was 
to  make  a  serious  attack ;  but  the  enemy  made  a  counter  at- 
tack, and  for  a  time  there  was  some  hard^ighting  with  doubt- 
ful results.  Both  parties  finally  gave  up  the  contest,  with  but 
little  advantage  to  either.  A  few  flags  and  prisoners  were 
taken  on  both  sides.  Our  troops  held  the  position  through  the 
night  of  the  27th»  but  on  the  morning  of  the  28th,  they  received 
orders  from  headquarters  to  withdraw  to  the  former  lines. 
They  retired,  closely  followed  by  the  enemy,  without  material 
loss.  When  within  a  mile  of  its  encampment,  the  Ninth  Corps 
formed  in  line  of  battle,  and  the  divisions  retired  in  that  order, 
one  through  the  other.  The  first  division  formed  in  line  while 
the  second  and  third  passed  through.    The  Corps  was  all  in  by 


1864.]  BEGINNING   OF   THE   END.  471 

six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  having  suffered  a  loss  of  eight  killed, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  wounded,  and  fourteen  missing. 

This  movement  closed  the  operations  on  the  left,  so  far  as 
the  Ninth  Corps  was  concerned.  Early  in  December,  the 
troops  returned  to  the  front  of  Petersburg.  The  Ninth  Corps 
held  the  right  of  the  line  of  the  army,  reaching  from  the  Ap- 
pomattox to  battery  twenty-four.  GeneraJ  Willcox's  division 
occupied  the  right,  General  Griffin's  brigade  the  left  of  the 
line,  including  Fort  Sedgwick- — called  by  the  soldiers  Fort 
Hell — Forts  Davis  and  Hayes  and  the  battery.  Through  the 
winter,  the  Corps  remained  in  this  position,  occasionally  detach- 
ing a  brigade  or  division  in  support  of  movements  made  by 
other  corps.  Some  changes  also  took  place  in  the  organiza- 
tion. Early  in  December,  it  was  decided  by  the  military  au- 
thorities to  detach  the  colored  troops  from  the  different  corps 
in  which  they  had  previously  served,  and  organize  a  new  corps, 
the  twenty-fifth.  The  colored  division  of  the  Ninth  was  ac- 
cordingly separated  from  the  command.  It  was  moved  down 
to  Bermuda  Hundred,  and  General  Ferrero  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  defences  of  that  point.  The  colored  troops  had 
done  a  faithful  service,  and  would  doubtless  h'ave  accomplished 
more  had  they  been  permitted.  But  the  old  army  officers  did 
not  in  all  cases  take  kindly  to  them.  General  Burnside  had 
been  very  favorably  disposed  to  them  from  the  start,  and  Gen- 
eral Parke  agreed  with  his  friend  and  chief.  But  it  has  already 
been  seen  how  chary  General  Meade  had  been  in  giving  them 
any  more  conspicuous  service  than  the  guarding  of  the  trains, 
the  digging  of  intrenchments,  and  the  hewing  down  of  the  for- 
ests. But  the  negroes  wrought  well,  drew  commendation  even 
from  reluctant  lips,  and  won  promotion  for  their  officers.  Gen- 
eral Ferrero,  no  less  from  his  own  merit  than  from  the  good 
conduct  of  his  command,  received  the  brevet  of  Major  General, 
to  date  from  the  2d  of  December,  1864. 

A  considerable  number  of  Pennsylvania  troops,  enlisted  for 
one  year's  service,  arrived  in  camp  about  the  1st  of  December, 
and  took  the  place  of  the  colored  soldiers.     Six  regiments  of 


472  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Dec,  1864. 

infantry  were  organized  as  the  third  division,  and  General 
Hartranft  was  assigned  to  the  command.  They  had  the  op- 
portunity, before  their  term  of  enlistment  expired,  of  seeing 
some  hard  and  honorable  service,  and  of  bearing  a  distinguished 
part  in  the  closing  scenes  of  the  strife.  General  Hartranft  was 
too  active  a  soldier  to  allow  his  command  to  remain  idle  when 
any  work  was  to  be^  done. 

On  the  6th  of  December,  General  Warren  started  on  a 
reconnaissance  to  the  Weldon  railroad  beyond  Nottoway  Court 
House,  which  was  effectual  in  destroying  a  large  portion  of 
the  track  as  far  as  Hicksford.  On  the  10th,  General  Potter's 
division  was  sent  down  to  Nottoway  Court  House  to  reenforce 
General  Warren  and  assist  his  return.  The  weather  was  ex- 
tremely cold,  the  snow  and  sleet  filled  the  air  and  covered  the 
ground,  and  the  troops  endured  much  hardship  in  marching 
and  bivouacking  beneath  the  inclement  skies.  General  War- 
ren achieved  considerable  success  in  his  movement,  but  his 
command  was  subjected  to  great  and  painful  exposure.  The 
appearance  of  General  Potter's  division  was  a  welcome  sight 
to  the  weary  men.  On  the  hither  side  of  the  Nottoway  river 
the  junction  was  made  during  the  afternoon  of  the  11th,  and 
on  the  12th,  the  entire  force  returned  to  camp. 

The  routine  of  the  siege  was  broken  by  a  singular  occur- 
rence. During  the  early  part  of  the  winter,  several  attempts 
were  made  to  bring  the  two  contending  parties  together  for 
purposes  of  negotiation.  In  these  transactions,  Mr.  F.  P  Blair, 
senior,  was  prominent,  and  so  successful  was  he  in  his  repre- 
sentations to  the  insurgent  government,  as  to  induce  Mr.  Davis 
to  send  commissioners  from  Richmond,  to  treat  with  our  au- 
thorities upon  the  subject  of  a  cessation  of  hostilities.  On  Sun- 
day morning,  January  29th,  1865,  the  pickets  in  front  of  the 
Ninth  Corps  reported  that  a  flag  of  truce  was  flying  on  the 
enemy's  works.  The  fact  was  communicated  to  Colonel  Samuel 
Harriman,  commanding  the  first  brigade  of  the  first  division,  and 
by  him  to  General  Willcox  who  was  then  in  command  of  the 
Corps.     Request  was  made  through  the  flag  for  permission  to 


JAN.,  1865.]  BEGINNING   OF   THE    END.  473 

Messrs.  A.  H.  Stephens,  R.  M.  T.  Hunter,  and  J.  A.  Camp- 
bell to  pass  through  the  lines.  General  Grant  at  once  granted 
the  favor,  and  sent  up  an  aide  to  accompany  the  commissioners 
to  City  Point.  Colonel  Harriman,  Major  Lydig  of  General 
Parke's  staff,  and  Captain  Brackett  of  General  Willcox's  staff, 
courteously  received  the  visitors  from  Richmond,  and  attended 
them  to  General  Grant's  headquarters.  They  remained  as 
guests  of  General  Grant  until  the  30th,  when  they  had  a  long 
conference  with  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Seward  on  board  a  steam- 
boat in  Hampton  Roads.  The  interview,  however,  had  but 
one  result,  namely : — to  assure  the  rebel  authorities  that  no 
peace  was  possible  except  upon  the  condition  of  submission. 
The  commissioners  returned  as  quietly  as  they  came,  and  made 
their  report.  Their  visit  had  the  effect  upon  the  soldiers  of 
causing  the  belief,  that  the  enemy  was  becoming  less  sanguine 
of  success,  and  more  disposed  to  perceive  that  the  defeat  of  his 
cause  was  drawing  nigh. 

On  the  5th  of  February,  1865,  General  Hartranft,  with  the 
third  division,  supported  a  movement  made  by  General  Hum- 
phreys, with  the  fifth  and  sixth  corps,  towards  Hatcher's  run. 
The  command  left  camp  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
reached  General  Humphreys's  position  on  the  Vaughan  road 
at  eight  o'clock,  without  a  straggler.  General  Hartranft  was 
posted  on  the  right  of  the  second  corps,  and  intrenched  in  the 
night,  throwing  up  one  thousand  yards  of  rifle  pits.  On  the 
next  day,  the  200th  Pennsylvania,  under  the  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  McCall,  made  a  reconnaissance  and  found  the 
enemy  strongly  posted.  Considerable  fighting  took  place  in 
front  of  the  fifth  and  sixth  corps,  but  General  Hartranft's  com- 
mand was  not  brought  into  the  action.  The  operation  was  de- 
signed to  dispossess  the  enemy  of  his  position  near  the  Boydton 
plank  road,  and  nearly  the  entire'  army  was  engaged  in  the  .at- 
tempt. General  Meade  was  at  one  time  upon  the  ground.  But 
the  movement  failed,  and  on  the  10th,  the  troops  returned  to 
their  former  positions. 

For  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  during  the  stirring  scenes 

60 


474  LAST   YEAR  OF  THE   REBELLION.  [March, 

through  which  the  Corps  had  passed,  many  of  its  officers  were 
complimented  with  promotion  to  brevet  rank.  Among  these 
were  Colonels  Christ,  Curtin,  Humphrey,  McLaughlin  of  the 
57th  Massachusetts,  and  Blackman  of  the  27th  colored  troops, 
who  were  advanced  to  the  grade  of  brevet  Brigadier  General. 
Several  gentlemen  of  the  staff  were  also  recognized  as  worthy 
of  promotion.  Captain  Eoemer,  of  the  artillery,  was  brevetted 
Major. 

The  Ninth  Corps  retained  its  place  on  the  right  of  the  army 
until  the  final  assault.  Through  the  autumn  and  winter, 
although  it  was  not  called  to  the  severe  service  in  which 
some  other  portions  of  the  army  were  engaged,  it  yet  performed 
all  required  duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity.  Our  soldiers 
were  subjected  to  constant  annoyance  from  the  enemy's  sharp- 
shooters, and  skirmishing  took  place  almost  daily.  Artillery 
duels  were  also  frequent.  The  neighborhood  of  "  Fort  Hell " 
was  especially  hot,  and  appeared  to  be  the  object  of  most  spiteful 
attack.  The  7th  Rhode  Island  formed  a  part  of  the  garrison 
of  the  fort,  and  Colonel  Daniels  was  at  one  time  in  command. 
Up  to  the  1st  of  December,  1864,  the  casualties  of  the  Corps 
amounted  to  over  sixteen  thousand,  a  sufficient  attestation  of  the 
bravery  and  self-sacrifice  with  which  its  career  was  everywhere 
and  always- marked.  On  every  scene,  the  well-tried  courage 
of  the  officers  and  men  had  been  conspicuous.  As  the  fate  of 
the  rebellion  approached,  the  Corps  prepared  to  take  its  part  in 
the  decisive,  final  struggle.  Faithfully  and  well  had  its  former 
work  been  done.  It  continued  faithful  unto  the  end,  and  won 
the  illustrious  prize  of  honorable  and  unwearied  service. 


1865.J  CLOSING   SCENES.  475 


CHAPTER    VII 

THE     CLOSING     SCENES 

THE  opening  of  the  spring  was  understood  by  all  to  be  the 
signal  for  entering  upon  the  closing  struggle  of  the 
war.  The  rebel  government  itself  had  become  somewhat  dis- 
couraged, and  General  Lee  had  already  intimated,  his  opinion 
of  the  hopelessness  of  continuing  the  strife.  The  magnificent 
campaign  of  General  Sherman  had  demonstrated  the  inherent 
weakness  of  the  "  Southern  Confederacy."  The  brilliant  ope- 
rations of  General  Terry  and  Admiral  Porter,  which  resulted 
in  the  capture  of  Fort  Fisher,  on  the  15th  of  January,  and  the 
subsequent  occupation  of  Wilmington,  had  their  effect  upon 
the  counsels  of  the  insurgent  government.  The  interview  of 
the  peace  commissioners  from  Richmond,  with  the  President  and 
Mr.  Seward  at  Hampton  Roads,  was  a  virtual  confession  of 
weakness.  Yet  the  enemy  still  showed  a  resolute  front,  and, 
as  subsequent  events  proved,  still  contemplated  desperate 
measures.  But  it  was  evident  on  all  sides  that  the  critical  mo- 
ment was  drawing  near.  There  might  be  other  attempts  on 
the  part  of  the  enemy  to  avert  the  long-threatened  blow.  Pos- 
sibly he  might  deliver  some  heavy  blows  himself;  but  every 
struggle  which  he  should  make  was  felt  to  be  but  the  expiring 
throes  of  a  cause,  to  which  only  despair  could  give  a  momentary 
strength,  and  the  certainty  of  defeat  a  resolution  to  die  with 
firmness. 

During  the  month  of  March,  as  through  the  preceding  month, 
the  Ninth  Corps  occupied  the  right  of  the  intrenchments,  ex- 
tending from  the  Appomattox  to  Fort  Howard,  a  distance  of 
seven  miles.     General  Willcox's  division  occupied  the  line  from 


476  LAST    YEAR    OF   THE   REBELLION.  [MAECH, 

the  Appomattox  to  Fort  Meikle.  General  Potter's  division 
extended  from  Fort  Meikle  to  Fort  Howard.  General  Hart- 
ranft's  division  was  posted  in  the  rear,  in  reserve.  The  in- 
trenchments  held  by  General  Willcox  and  General  Curtin's 
brigade  of  General  Potter's  division  were  those  which  had 
originally  been  taken  from  the  enemy,  and  we're  in  very  close 
proximity  to  the  opposing  lines.  The  works  were  necessarily 
somewhat  defective.  Especially  was  this  the  case  with  Fort 
Stedman.  This  work  was  situated  at  the  point  where  our  line 
crossed  Prince  George  Court  House  road.  It  was  a  small 
earthwork  without  bastions,  immediately  adjoining  battery 
number  ten.  It  was  not  a  compactly  built  work  in  the  first 
place,  and  .the  frosts  and  rains  of  winter  had  weakened  it  con- 
siderably. Yet  the  nearness  to  the  enemy  prevented  even  the 
slightest  repairs,  except  in  the  most  stealthy  manner.  The 
ground  in  the  rear  of  the  fort  was  nearly  as  high  as  the  parapet 
itself.  The  enemy's  line  was  distant  only  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  yards.  Our  own  picket  line  ran  about  one-third  of 
this  distance  from  the  fortified  front.  This  portion  of  our  de- 
fences was  held  by  the  third  brigade  of  the  first  division,  under 
General  N.  B.  McLaughlin. 

At  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  March,  the 
picket  line  was  visited  by  the  officer  on  duty.  The  men  were 
found  to  be  alert,  and  no  signs  of  an  enemy  were  visible.  Gen- 
eral Grant,  during  the  winter,  had  allowed  deserters  to  come 
into  our  lines  with  arms.  Squads  of  men,  taking  advantage  of 
this  permission,  appeared  soon  after  the  visit  of  the  officer,  stole 
quietly  in  with  the  pretence,  of  being  deserters,  surprised  our 
pickets  and  gained  possession  of  the  picket  posts.  The  line 
was  overpowered  in  a  moment,  and  almost  without  resistance. 
Immediately  following  these  detached  parties,  was  a  strong 
storming  force  of  picked  men,  and  behind  these  were  three 
heavy  columns  of  the  enemy.  It  was  General  Gordon's  corps, 
supported  by  General  Bushrod  Johnson's  division.  The  guard 
in  the  trenches  attempted  to  check  the  progress  of  the  attack- 
ing column,  but  was  overborne  at  once,  and  our  main  line 


1865.]  Closing  scenes.  477 

was  broken  between  batteries  nine  and  ten.  The  assaulting 
force  turned  to  the  right  and  left,  with  the  intention  of  sweep- 
ing away  our  troops.  The  right  column  soon  gained  battery 
ten,  which  was  open  in  the  rear,  thus  acquiring  the  great  ad- 
vantage of  a  close  attack  on  Fort  Stedman.  The  garrison, 
consisting  of  a  battalion  of  the  L4th  New  York  heavy  artil- 
lery, under  Major  Randall,  resisted  with  the  utmost  spirit,  but, 
being  attacked  on  all  sides,  was  soon  overpowered,  and  most 
of  the  men  were  captured.  Forthwith  the  guns  of  the  battery 
and  fort  were  turned  upon  our  troops.  The  enemy  pushed  on 
towards  Fort  Haskell,  driving  out  the  troops  in  battery  eleven. 

The  day  had  not  yet  brightened,  and  it  was  almost  im- 
possible in  the  dim  twilight  to  distinguish  between  friend 
and  foe.  General  McLaughlin,  aroused  by  the  tumult,  en- 
deavored to  rally  and  form  his  brigade.  Passing  on  down  the 
line,  he  ordered  mortar  battery  twelve  to  open  upon  the  enemy. 
At  the  same  time,  the  59th  Massachusetts  was  formed,  made  a 
gallant  charge  upon  battery  eleven,  and  recaptured  the  work. 
General  McLaughlin  went  forward  to  Fort  Stedman,  and  was 
at  once  seized  by  the  enemy.  General  Parke,  immediately  on 
receiving  intelligence  of  the  enemy's  movement,  ordered  Gen- 
eral Willcox  to  form  the  remainder  of  his  division  for  resist- 
ance, and  General  Hartranft.  to  concentrate  his  right  brigade 
to  reenforce  the  imperilled  troops.  General  Tidball,  chief  of 
artillery,  was  directed  to  post  his  batteries  on  the  hills  in  rear 
of  the  point  attacked.  General  Hartranft  concentrated  his 
whole  division  with  great  promptness,  attacked  the  advancing 
enemy,  and  effectually  checked  his  further  progress. 

The  left  column  proceeded  along  the  line  to  battery  nine, 
attacked  the  57th  Massachusetts,  and  drove  the  men  from  the 
trenches.  It  next  struck  the  left  of  the  2d  Michigan,  and 
threw  it  into  confusion.  The  regiment,  however,  soon  rallied, 
and  stoutly  resisted  the  attack  till  reinforcements  came  up, 
when  the  advance  of  the  enemy  was  stopped.  A  line  was 
formed  of  Colonel  Ely's  brigade,  perpendicular  to  the  intrench- 
ments,  the  right  resting  near  battery  nine.     By  the  assistance 


478  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Mabch, 

of  batteries  nine  and  five  and  Fort  McGilvery  a  heavy  assault 
which  the  enemy  made  on  battery  nine  was  repulsed,  and  the 
attacking  column  forced  back.  Foiled  in  the  attempt  to  sweep 
our  lines  in  this  direction,  and  to  gain  possession  of  the  railroad 
to  City  Point,  the  assaulting  force  withdrew  to  the  rear  of 
Fort  Stedman.  Here  it  met  once  more  the  column  which 
had  gone  up  to  the  right,  and  which  had  been  equally  unfortu- 
nate. After  their  temporary  surprise,  the  garrisons  of  batte- 
ries eleven  and  twelve — the  29th  Massachusetts  and  the  100th 
Pennsylvania — rallied,  and,  uniting  with  Colonel  Harriman's 
brigade  of  General  Willcox's  division,  formed  a  second  line 
perpendicular  to  the  intrenchments,  its  left  resting  near  Fort 
Haskell,  its  right  connecting  with  General  Hartranft's  division. 

By  this  rapid  and  skilful  disposition,  the  enemy  was  not  only 
brought  to  a  complete  stop  in  both  directions,  but  was  also 
forced  back,  enclosed  and  subjected  to  a  destructive  fire  in  front 
and  on  both  flanks.  The  only  works  which  he  now  held  were 
Fort  Stedman  and  battery  ten,  but  his  position  there  was  com- 
manded by  our  guns  from  Fort  Haskell.  He  made  repeated 
attempts  upon  the  latter  work,  in  order  to  secure  an  uninter- 
rupted line  of  retreat,  but  was  in  every  case  steadily  and 
bloodily  repulsed.  "  At  half-past  seven  o'clock,  the  position 
of  affairs  was  thus  :  Batteries  eleven  and  twelve  had  been  re- 
captured, a  cordon  of  troops,  consisting  of  Hartranft's  division 
with  regiments  belonging  to  McLaughlin's  and  Ely's  brigades, 
was  formed  around  Fort  Stedman  and  battery  ten,  into  which 
the  enemy  was  forced.  There  he  was  exposed  to  a  concen- 
trated fire  from  all  the  artillery  in  position  bearing  on  these 
points  and  the  reserve  batteries  in  the  rear."* 

General  Hartranft  was  now  ordered  to  advance  his  troops 
and  retake  the  line.  The  211th  Pennsylvania  was  selected  to 
advance  directly  upon  the  fort,  in  order  to  occupy  the  atten- 
tion of  the  enemy  while  the  remainder  of  the  command  was  to 
rush  in  on  either  flank.     A  large  portion  of  these  troops  had 

General  Parke's  Report. 


1865.]  CLOSING   SCENES.  479 

never  before  been  under  fire  in  a  pitched  battle,  but  nothing 
could  exceed  the  fearless  bearing  with  which  they  made  the 
assault.  At  fifteen  minutes  before  eight,  the  attack  was  made 
in  the  finest  style.  The  enemy's  resistance  was  broken,  the 
troops  charged  over  the  works,  and,  in  a  moment,  Fort  Sted- 
man  and  the  battery  were  recaptured  and  the  enemy  compelled 
to  ask  for  quarter.  The  cross  fire  from  our  batteries  prevented 
retreat,  except  with  great  difficulty.  A  large  portion  of  the 
entire  storming  column,  which  had  come  out  from  the  opposing 
lines  eager  and  hopeful  of  triumph,  was  now  obliged  to  surren- 
der. One  thousand  nine  hundred  and  forty-nine  prisoners, 
seventy-one  of  whom  were  officers,  nine  stands  of  colors,  and  a 
large  number  of  small  arms  were  the  fruits  of  this  brilliant  ex- 
ploit. Our  lines  were  at  once  reoccupied,  and  all  damages 
repaired.  Our  losses  were  about  one  thousand  killed,  wounded 
and  missing. 

General  Hartranft,  who  was  in  immediate  command  of  the 
troops  engaged,  managed  the  affair  with  great  skill,  and  won 
additional  renown.  "  Too  much  credit,"  said  General  Parke, 
"  cannot  be  given  him."  By  his  promptitude  and  ability  in 
rallying  his  troops,  in  making  his  dispositions,  and  in  conduct- 
ing the  final  assault,  he  changed  what  threatened  to  be  a  great 
disaster  into  a  glorious  success.  It  was  as  decisive  in  its  way 
as  General  Sheridan's  splendid  achievement  at  Cedar  Creek. 
Whatever  plan  General  Lee  may  have  devised  for  a  subsequent 
movement  was  completely  thwarted.  The  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac was  saved  from  the  danger  of  entire  defeat  and  ruin. 
The  presence  of  mind  and  the  rapidity  of  execution  which  dis- 
tinguished General  Hartranft  in  these  trying  circumstances, 
won  for  him  the  brevet  of  Major  General.  *Generals  Parke, 
Meade,  and  Grant,  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the  President 
were  equally  hearty  in  the  expression  of  their  commendation, 
and  the  promotion  was  immediately  made.  No  honor  during 
the  war  was  more  worthily  bestowed  or  more  bravely  won. 

It  happened  curiously  enough,  that  General  Parke  was  in 
command  of  the  entire  Army  of  the  Potomac  at  the  time  of  the 


480  LAST   TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Makch, 

attack  on  Fort  Stedman,  although  he  was  not  at  first  aware  of 
the  fact.  At  half  past  five  o'clock,  he  reported  the  intelligence 
of  the  enemy's  appearance  and  action  to  head-quarters.  He  re- 
ceived no  reply  to  his  despatch.  Four  successive  times  did  he 
send  the  communication  without  a  response,  until  ten  minutes 
past  six,  when  an  answer  came  from  the  telegraph  operator : 
"  General  Meade  is  not  here  and  the  command  devolves  on  you." 
The  commanding  general  had  yielded  his  "  prerogative  "  with- 
out intimating  to  his  second  in  command,  that  the  mantle  of 
authority  had  fallen  from  his  shoulders.  General  Meade  had 
given  no  notice  of  his  absence,  and  General  Parke  found  him- 
self bearing  an  unexpected  burden  of  duty.  He  immediately 
despatched  couriers  to  City  Point  and,  meanwhile,  ordered 
Generals  Wright  and  Warren  to  move  troops  towards  the  po- 
sition which  the  enemy  had  assailed.  He  had  already  received 
cordial  tenders  of  assistance  from  his  brother  officers.  The 
corps  commanders  were  even  anxious  and  eager  to  attack  the 
enemy,  in  turn,  along  the  whole  line.  They  would  have  been 
glad  to  have  fought  a  battle  under  the  direction  of  General 
ParUe,  without  any  intervention  of  General  Meade.  There 
was  every  prospect  of  winning  a  great  victory,  so  far  as  the 
judgment  of  these  officers  could  determine.  But  General  Parke 
was  not  willing  to  take  the  responsibility  of  ordering  an  attack 
while  he  was  accidentally  in  command.  He  had  too  much  self- 
control  to  allow  himself  to  be  governed  by  the  suggestions  of 
personal  ambition,  and  rejected  the  opportunity  of  securing  a 
mere  personal  glory,  through  the  negligence  of  his  chief.  It 
was  an  instance  of  self-command  which  was  very  honorable  to 
General  Parke.  General  Wheaton's  division  of  the  sixth  corps 
came  down  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  points  attacked,  and 
stood  in  readiness  to  afford  any  required  aid,  but  General  Hart- 
ranft  was  fully  competent  to  do  the  needed  work  alone.  Im- 
mediately after  the  line  was  reoccupied,  telegraphic  communi- 
cation with  head-quarters  was  renewed.  General  Meade  had 
now  returned  to  the  army  and  at  once  sent  up  orders,  that 
no  attack  upon  the  enemy  was  to  be  made.     The  remainder  of 


"'y^'llh'iii'/'ln^^'^"".'"^ 


b) 


f^j  ^J 


5 


line, 


y 


'/'Ml-\"C-  r-    P3      "• 


w   --r  ~*. 

3 


5  «= 


1865.]  CLOSING   SCENES.  481 

the  day  passed  in  quiet  in  front  of  the  Ninth  Corps.  On  the 
left  of  our  line  there  was  some  severe  fighting,  resulting  in  a 
loss  to  the  enemy  of  nearly  a  thousand  prisoners  and  an  equal 
number  of  killed  and  wounded,  for  which  he  had  previously 
gained  no  compensative  advantage. 

General  Meade,  on  the  27th,  issued  a  congratulatory  order, 
in  which  he  spoke  in  complimentary  terms  of  the  promptness  of 
General  Parke,  "  the  firm  bearing  of  the  troops  of  the  Ninth 
Corps  in  the  adjacent  positions  of  the  line  held  by  the  enemy, 
and  the  conspicuous  gallantry  of  the  third  division,  together 
with  the  energy  and  skill  displayed  by  General  Hartranffc." 
He  had  at  first  reflected  severely  upon  "  the  want  of  vigilance 
of  the  third  brigade  of  the  first  division."  But  on  subsequent 
information,  he  was  convinced  that  he  had  spoken  wrongly  and 
hastily,  and  therefore  cancelled  the  order.  It  was  said  by 
some  that  the  enemy  contemplated  making  an  attack  upon  Fort 
Sedgwick,  but  our  line  there  was  too  strongly  guarded.  He 
therefore  tried  the  experiment  further  down  towards  the  river. 
Whether  this  was  so  or  not,  the  movement  was  skilfully  made 
and  nearly  proved  a  success.  Under  the  orders  that  were 
given  from  headquarters,  respecting  the  reception  of  deserters, 
it  was  possible  at  almost  any  point,  and  the  wonder  is  that  it 
was  not  tried  before. 

No  further  opportunity  for  such  a  surprise  occurred.  The 
enemy  had  not  won  the  victory  which  he  had  hoped.  Our 
troops  were  put  more  vigilantly  on  their  guard,  and  prepared 
with  greater  eagerness  for  the  decisive  movement  which  every 
one  felt  to  be  momentarily  approaching.  Every  indication  now 
pointed  to  General  Lee's  speedy  retreat  from  Petersburg  and 
Eichmond.  General  Grant  prepared  his  army  to  strike 
the  final  blow  before  his  enemy  could  escape.  General 
Sheridan,  with  his  cavalry,  was  hurried  to  the  extreme  left, 
and  the  entire  Army  of  the  Potomac,  on  the  27th  of  March, 
was  ordered  to  be  ready  to  move  at  a  moment's  notice.  On 
the  29th,  the  march  commenced.  General  Sheridan  had  the 
advance.      General    Warren's    corps  followed,   with    General 

61 


482  LAST    TEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [MARCH, 

Humphreys  in  support.  The  sixth  and  Ninth  Corps  held  the 
lines  in  front  of  Petersburg,  and  portions  of  the  Army  of  the 
James  were  brought  from  the  north  side  of  the  river  to  aid  in 
the  contemplated  attack.  It  is  not  needful  to  follow  the  mag- 
nificent rnano2UYres  and  brilliant  fighting  which,  for  the  next 
few  days,  proved  to  General  Lee  that  the  hour  of  his  defeat 
had  come.  Still,  until  the  last  moment,  he  tenaciously  held 
upon  his  fortified  positions  at  Petersburg  and  Eichmond.  Gen- 
eral Grant  found  it  necessary  to  attack  in  front  as  well  as  on 
the  flank. 

The  enemy's  line,  from  the  Appomattox  to  the  front  of  Fort 
Sedgwick,  was  the  old  interior  line  which  had  been  so  often 
attacked  in  vain.  The  line  held  by  the  Ninth  Corps  extended 
as  far  as  Fort  Davis,  and  fronted  the  enemy's  strong  position. 
On  the  30th  of  March,  General  Parke  received  orders  to  assault 
on  the  next  morning  at  four  o'clock.  The  point  of  attack  was 
left  to  his  discretion.  The  front  of  Fort  Sedgwick  was  thought 
to  be  the  most  available  for  the  attempt.  The  divisions  of 
Generals  Potter  and  Hartranft  were  concentrated  in  rear  of  the 
fort,  ready  for  the  movement.  The  assault,  however,  was  sus- 
pended, by  order  of  General  Meade.  The  operations  on  the 
left  had  not  been  developed  sufficiently  to  insure  success.  The 
troops  were  therefore  ordered  back  to  their  old  position.  At 
last  the  time  came.  On  the  1st  of  April,  orders  were  again 
issued  for  attack.  About  ten  o'clock  that  night  our  artillery 
opened  and  our  skirmishers  were  sent  forward.  General  S.  G. 
Griffin  found  a  weak  place  in  front  of  his  brigade,  between 
Forts  Hayes  and  Howard,  rushed  in,  carried  the  picket  line,  and 
captured  two  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners  ;  but,  finding  the 
enemy's  main  line  fully  armed,  again  withdrew.  During  the 
night,  the  troops  were  concentrated.  General  Hartranft's 
division  was  massed  in  front  of  Fort  Sedgwick.  Colonel  Sam- 
uel Harriman's  brigade  of  General  Willcox's  division,  was 
formed  on  General  Hartranft's  right.  The  51st  Pennsylvania 
held  the  brigade  line  in  the  works.  General  Potter's  division 
was  massed  on  General  Hartranft's  left,  to  the  left  of  the  Jeru- 


1865.]  CLOSING    SCENES.  483 

salem  plank  road.  At  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  2d 
of  April,  General  Parke  established  his  headquarters  at  Fort 
Eice.  At  the  same  time,  Generals  Hartranft  and  Potter  formed 
their  assaulting  columns.  General  Hartranft  put  the  207th 
Pennsylvania  in  advance,  and  in  its  immediate  rear  the  205th, 
211th  and  208th  Pennsylania.  The  200th  and  209th  Pennsyl- 
vania were  held  in  reserve.  Colonel  Harriman's  brigade  was 
posted  on  the  right.  General  Potter  formed  his  column  with 
General  Griffin's  brigade  in  advance,  immediately  supported 
by  General  Curtin's.  The  attacking  forces  were  very 
skilfully  arranged.  Storming  parties,  pioneers  with  axes,  and 
troops  equipped  as  engineers,  and  details  of  artillerists  to  work 
any  guns  that  might  be  captured,  accompanied  each  column. 
The  plan  of  attack  was  for  General  Willcox  to  make  a  feint  in 
front  of  Fort  Stedman,  while  Generals  Potter  and  Hartranft 
assaulted  the  enemy's  works. 

At  four  o'clock,  our  artillery  opened  along  the  entire  line. 
General  Willcox  promptly  and  vigorously  pushed  out  his  skir- 
mishers, and  was  everywhere  successful.  The  51st  Pennsyl- 
vania, under  Colonel  Bolton,  captured  the  enemy's  line  near 
the  crater.  Colonel  Ely's  brigade  carried  the  picket  line  and 
two  hundred  yards  of  the  main  works  near  the  Appomattox. 
The  enemy  concentrated  a  considerable  force  upon  these  troops, 
as  was  anticipated,  and  gave  an  opportunity  for  the  columns 
on  the  left.  At  half-past  four,  the  signal  was  given,  and  the 
troops  designed  for  the  main  attack  sprung  away  from  their 
place  of  formation  with  the  greatest  alacrity  and  enthusiasm. 
Eager  to  avenge  the  repulse  which  they  had  experienced  on 
almost  the  same  ground,  eight  months  before,  they  charged 
the  enemy's  line  with  the  utmost  vigor  and  resolution.  They 
were  received  with  a  storm  of  grape,  canister  and  musketry, 
but  through  the  deadly  tempest  they  advanced  with  an  intre- 
pidity which  showed  that  the  Ninth  had  not  lost  the  an- 
cient daring.  They  plunged  through  the  ditch,  tore  away  the 
abatis,  scaled  the  walls,  swept  over  the  parapets  and  carried 
the   works.     Hartranft's  column   was  successful  in  capturing 


484  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Apeil, 

twelve  guns,  a  number  of  colors,  and  eight  hundred  prisoners. 
Harriman's  column  made  a  gallant  charge  upon  the  right,  and 
carried  all  that  part  of  the  enemy's  line  which  was  known  as 
Miller's  salient. 

General  Potter's  division  advanced  upon  the  left,  in  the  face 
of  a  terrific  fire,  which  made  dreadful  rents  in  the  attacking 
column.  The  enemy's  line  in  the  part  which  General  Potter 
assailed  was  heavily  fortified,  and  it  was  necessary  to  drive  him 
from  traverse  to  traverse  in  a  hand  to  hand  conflict.  The  6th 
Xew  Hampshire  captured  a  battery  of  four  guns,  and  turned 
them  on  the  enemy.  The  56th  Massachusetts,  assisted  by  the 
5th  Massachusetts  battery,  took  and  held  the  line  of  rebel 
works  on  the  Jerusalem  plank  road.  The  enemy  was  very  te- 
nacious, and  fought  with  great  resolution,  but  was  finally 
obliged  to  yield  before  the  progress  of  our  troops.  For  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile,  he  was  borne  back  into  an  interior  line  of  works, 
where  he  was  strongly  reenforced,  and  was  enabled  to  check 
the  advancing  columns.  A  very  daring  but  unsuccessful  at- 
tempt was  made  to  carry  this  inner  position,  in  the  midst  of 
which  General  Potter  fell,  very  severely  wounded.  General 
Griffin  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  division,  and  very 
ably  directed  its  movements  for  the  remainder  of  its  term  of 
service.  For  his  brave  and  faithful  conduct  on  this  day,  he 
was  brevetted  Major  General. 

It  was  now  full  daylight.  The  operations  thus  far  had  been 
very  successful.  The  enemy's  line,  to  the  distance  of  four 
hundred  yards  on  each  side  of  the  Jerusalem  plank  road,  in- 
cluding several  forts  and  redans,  had  been  taken  by  our  troops. 
Meanwhile,  the  sixth,  second,  and  portions  of  the  twenty- 
fourth  and  twenty-fifth  corps  had  attacked  from  the  left,  and 
succeeded  in  carrying  a  part  of  the  opposing  lines  in  their  front, 
with  two  thousand  prisoners  and  at  least  fifteen  pieces  of  artil- 
lery. The  enemy  resisted  strenuously,  but,  after  an  obstinate 
struggle,  was  compelled  to  give  way,  with  the  loss  of  his  com- 
manding General  A.  P.  Hill.  The  sixth  corps  particularly 
distinguished  itself  in  this  day's  battle.     Trained  under  Sheri- 


1865.]  CLOSING    SCENES.  485 

dan  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  it  had  caught  the  fearless  en- 
thusiasm of  its  leader.  It  now  proved  what  brave  men  could 
do  when  moving  dauntlessly  upon  a  fortified  enemy.  Before 
the  day  had  passed,  it  reached  the  banks  of  the  Appomattox, 
on  the  southwest  side  of  Petersburg.  The  other  assaulting 
corps  were  equally  fortunate,  and,  by  their  courage  and  perse- 
verance, the  city  of  Petersburg  was,  for  the  first  time  during 
the  siege,  effectually  invested. 

The  Ninth  Corps,  after  its  first  successful  assault,  received 
orders  to  hold  on  to  what  it  had  already  gained.  General 
Parke  had  attacked  the  enemy's  main  line,  while  the  other  corps 
had  attacked  another  line,  which  might  be  occupied  without 
securing  possession  of  the  city.  At  eight  o'clock,  General 
Parke  was  directed  not  to  advance,  unless  he  saw  the  way  clear 
to  success.  He  therefore  strengthened  his  position,  with  a 
view  to  holding  it  against  any  assaulting  force.  The  enemy 
seemed  disposed  to  recapture,  if  possible,  the  works  which  he 
had  lost.  Just  before  eleven  o'clock,  he  made  a  very  deter- 
mined attack,  but  was  repulsed  with  heavy  losses.  He  continued 
to  attack  at  intervals  until  afternoon,  gaining  some  slight  ad- 
vantage. But  General  Lee  evidently  considered  that  his  case 
was  hopeless.  He  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Davis  at  Richmond, 
that  an  evacuation  of  Petersburg  was  inevitable. 

It  was  useless  to  contend  against  fate.  General  Lee,  beaten 
on  the  flank  and  front,  prepared  to  abandon  the  position  which 
he  had  so  long  and  skilfully  defended.  He  still,  however, 
kept  up  a  show  of  resistance.  So  threatening  at  one  time  were 
the  demonstrations  in  front  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  that  General 
Parke  was  obliged  to  call  for  reinforcements.  Two  brigades 
were  sent  up  from  City  Point,  and  Colonel  Hamblin's  brigade 
was  ordered  down  from  the  sixth  corps.  At  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  the  troops  arrived  from  City  Point,  and,  under  the 
direction  of  General  Griffin,  made  a  spirited  attack  and  forced 
the  enemy  back  from  the  immediate  front.  Between  four  and 
five  o'clock,  Colonel  Hamblin  arrived  upon  the  ground,  and 
General  Parke  desired  to  renew  the  assault.     But  upon  ascer- 


486  LAST    YEAK   OF   THE    REBELLION.  [Apeil, 

taining  the  condition  of  the  men,  who  were  exhausted  by  twelve 
hours  of  hard  fighting,  he  decided  simply  to  make  his  position 
entirely  secure.  He  removed  the  abatis  to  the  front  of  the  re- 
versed line  and  connected  with  a  cross  line  to  that  which  he 
originally  held.  Some  skirmishing  occurred  until  a  late  hour 
of  the  night.  The  troops  were  enjoined  to  exercise  the  utmost 
vigilance,  that  the  slightest  movement  of  the  enemy  might  be 
observed,  and  advantage  taken  of  any  inclination  which  he 
might  evince  to  evacuate  the  position. 

At  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  the  enemy's  pickets 
were  still  out.  They  were  doubtless  withdrawn  very  soon 
afterwards,  for  at  four  o'clock  when  our  skirmishers  advanced 
they  met  with  no  resistance.  The  troops  were  immediately 
put  in  motion  and  entered  the  city  at  all  points.  Of  the  Ninth 
Corps,  Colonel  Ely's  brigade  was  the  first  to  pass  the  enemy's 
works,  and  Colonel  Ely  himself. received  the  formal  surrender 
of  the  city.  At  half-past  four  the  1st  Michigan  sharpshooters 
raised  their  flag  upon  the  Court  House  and  Petersburg  at  last 
was  ours  !  General  Willcox  announced  the  surrender,  and  at 
five  o'clock  the  gratifying  intelligence  was  communicated  to 
General  Meade.  The  enemy  in  his  retreat  set  fire  to  the  bridge 
across  the  Appomattox,  but  our  troops  succeeded  in  saving  a 
portion  of  the  structure.  General  Willcox  at  once  threw  skir- 
mishers over  the  river,  and  a  few  straggling  soldiers  were  cap- 
tured. General  Willcox  was  placed  in  command  of  the  city 
with  his  division  for  garrison.  General  Parke,  with  the  two 
remaining  divisions,  was  ordered,  in  connection  with  the  sixth 
corps,  to  pursue  the  retreating  foe.  The  command  on  the  3rd 
marched  out  as  far  as  Sutherland's  Station  on  the  Southside 
railroad,  where  it  encamped  for  the  night.  The  troops  moved 
at  daylight  on  the  next  morning,  following  the  sixth  corps, 
pressing  on  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  orders  came  to 
move  over  to  the  Coxe  road,  to  guard  the  rear  of  the  pursuing 
army. 

From  that  time  until  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  on  the 
9th,  General  Parke  was   engaged  in  scouting,  and  picketing 


1865]  CLOSING   SCENE8.  487 

along  the  railroad  and  well  towards  the  south,  in  order  to  pre- 
vent any  hostile  demonstrations  which  the  enemy  might  be  dis- 
posed to  make  from  that  direction.  At  the  time  of  the  surren- 
der General  Parke's  command  extended  from  Farmville  to 
Sutherland's  station.  The  Ninth  Corps  was  not  immediately 
present  when  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia  laid  down  its  arms. 
A  few  of  the  officers  rode  up  and  witnessed  the  ceremony. 
The  intelligence  was  received  with  the  tmost  joyful  acclama- 
tions. The  soldiers  were  glad  to  know  that  their  work  of  car- 
nage and  death  were  finished.  Visions  of  homes  and  friends 
rose  before  their  minds.  They  now  awaited  the  coming  of  the 
day  when  they  could  lay  aside  the  weapons  of  war  and 
resume  the  implements  of  peace.  A  citizen  soldiery,  unaccus- 
tomed to  scenes  of  deadly  conflict,  had  learned  to  face  death  in 
its  frightfullest  forms  with  calmness,  and  by  heroic  deeds,  and 
sublime  sacrifices,  had  saved  the  Republic.  The  men  who  had 
composed  the  Ninth  Corps,  drawn  from  fourteen  different  States, 
were  faithful  representatives  of  the  best  portions  of  our  volun- 
teer army.  No  stain  of  dishonor  ever  sullied  their  fair  renown, 
and  no  stigma  of  shame  can  ever  be  affixed  upon  their  bright 
record. 

The  assassination  of  Mr.  Lincoln  caused  intense  feeling 
throughout  the  army  and  especially  among  the  soldiers  of  the 
Ninth  Corps  to  whom  the  President  was  like  a  personal  friend. 
The  relations  between  General  Burnside  and  Mr.  Lincoln  were 
particularly  intimate  and  the  interest  felt-  in  the  commander  was 
extended  to  the  troops.  By  no  one  more  than  by  the  President 
was  the  Ninth  Corps  appreciated  for  its  long  and  arduous  ser- 
vices. The  good  will  was  reciprocated,  and  the  Presidential 
policy  was  nowhere  more  firmly  supported  than  among  the  offi- 
cers and  men  of  the  Corps. 

The  rest  of  the  story  can  be  quickly  told.  The  Corps  re- 
mained in  the  neighborhood  of  Sutherland's  until  the  l'9th,  when 
the  troops  were  ordered  to  Washington.  They  embarked  at 
City  Point  during  the  week  following  the  20th,  and  in  due 
time  arrived   at    Alexandria.       General  Parke    was    assigned 


488  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION.  [Mat, 

to  the  command  of  the  district  of  Alexandria.  On  the  22d  of 
May  the  Corps  marched  across  Long  Bridge,  bivouacked  near 
the  Capitol  and  on  the  23d  participated  in  the  grand  review. 
It  remained  encamped  in  the  neighborhood  of  Washington  for 
the  next  four  months,  gradually  disintegrating  by  the  depar- 
ture of  the  different  regiments  which  had  composed  the  com- 
mand. During  the  trial  of  the  conspirators  against  the  life  of 
the  President,  General  Hartranft  was  assigned  to  duty  as  the 
guard  of  the  prisoners.  The  date  of  final  disbandment  of 
the  Corps  was  the  27th  of  July.  General  Willcox' s  division 
was  the  last  to  be  mustered  out.  On  the  25th  of  July  General 
Willcox,  who  had  for  a  time  commanded  the  district  of  Wash- 
ington, issued  his  last  orders.  In  hearty  and  affectionate 
words  he  bade  his  soldiers  farewell.  What  he  said  of  his  divi- 
sion might  well  be  said  of  the  entire  Corps.  The  story  of  the 
command,  "  various  regiments  of  which  have  left  the  bones  of 
their  dead  to  whiten  battle  fields  in  seven  different  States,  will 
form  a  park  of  your  individual  life  hereafter,"  said  General 
Willcox  to  his  troops.  "  Your  families  and  fellow  citizens  will 
welcome  your  return  in  peace  and  victory.  You  will  carry 
about  you  in  civil  life  a  sense  of  your  own  worth,  and  self-re- 
spect will  characterize  those  who  have  done  and  deserved  so 
well  of  their  country." 

Generals  Parke  and  Potter  on  the  disbandment  of  the  Corps 
were  assigned  to  duty  in  the  department  of  the  East  under 
General  Hooker.  General  Parke  was  placed  in  command  of 
the  southern  district  of  New  York,  and  General  Potter*  of  the 
district  of  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut.  General  Willcox 
was  assigned  to  duty  as  the  commander  of  the  district  of  Michi- 
gan in  the  department  of  the  Ohio  under  General  Ord,  where 
he  met  his  former  comi'ade,  General  Cox.  General  Hartranft 
was  assigned  to  the  department  of  Kentucky  under  General 
Palmer.  The  other  general  officers  were  mustered  out  of  the 
service  at  the  time  of  the  final  disbandment.     On    the    1st  of 

*General  Potter  was  promoted  to  full  Major  General  September  29, 1865. 


1865.]  CLOSING   SCENES.  489 

January,  1866,  General  Cox,  who  had  previously  been  elected 
Governor-  of  Ohio,  resigned  his  commission  in  the  army.  On 
the  15th  of  the  same  month,  Generals  Parke,  Potter,  Willcox 
and  Hartranft  were  "  honorably  mustered  out  of  the  service  of 
the  United  States." 

General  Parke  returned  to  the  corps  of  engineers,  in  which 
he  held  the  rank  of  brevet  Brigadier  General.  He  was  after- 
wards promoted  to  brevet  Major  General  in  the  regular  army. 
The  other  officers  returned  to  civil  life.  Generals  Potter  and 
Willcox  resumed  the  practice  of  their  profession.  General  Hart- 
ranft was  elected  in  October,  1865,  Auditor  General  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Thus  with  honor  to  themselves  and  the  country  did  the 
men  and  officers  of  the  Ninth  Corps  close  their  term  of  service. 
But,  though  the  bonds  of  army  life  were  severed  by  the  com- 
pletion of  the  work,  to  which  they  had  consecrated  their  powers, 
the  ties  of  affection  which  a  community  of  danger  and  duty  had 
woven  still  remain  strong  as  ever.  The  memory  of  the  noble 
dead  is  the  common  inheritance,  and  the  proud  consciousness  of 
duty  always  well  performed  the  common  satisfaction,  of  those 
brave  men  whose  names  are  borne  on  the  rolls  of  the  old  Ninth 
Army  Coups  ! 


62 


490  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION. 


CHAPTER    IX 


CONCLUSION. 


ALL  history  is  necessarily  imperfect.  Even  if  every 
detail  is  told,  there  still  remain  many  things  which  can- 
not be  recorded.  There  are  many  acts  of  fidelity,  self-sacrifice 
and  heroism  of  which  there  can  be  no  chronicle.  The  more 
prominent  events  of  a  great  struggle,  the  movements  of  large 
armies,  the  battles  in  which  they  engage,  the  shining  exploits 
which  win  glory  for  their  actors  and  secure  the  admiration  of 
the  world,  stand  conspicuously  out  before  the  eyes  of  mankind. 
But  there  are  many  other  deeds,  less  distinguished  and  less 
known,  which  yet  have  an  important  influence  upon  the  course 
and  issue  of  the  strife.  Much  that  is  borne  and  done,  both  in 
the  camp-  and  in  the  field,  cannot  be  written  down  or  made  the 
object  of  the  public  gaze.  No  one  thinks  of  telling  the  story 
except  in  some  choice  circle  of  friendship.  The  endurance  of 
hardship,  the  self-discipline  and  self-control,  the  spirit  of  mode- 
ration in  victory  and  of  steadfastness  in  defeat,  the  sense  of 
imperative  duty  and  the  love  of  a  great  and  noble  cause — all 
the  qualities  of  character,  in  short,  which  belong  to  good  sol- 
diers and  brave  men,  and  make  up  the  morale  of  an  army, 
belong  to  that  part  of  history  which  may  well  be  called  un- 
written. 

Nor  is  the  spirit  of  a  people,  which  perpetually  encourages 
and  reenforces  an  army  in  the  field,  to  be  disregarded  or  over- 
looked. The  war  of  the  rebellion  was  without  precedent 
amono-  the  nations  of  the  world.  Never  was  there  an  army  like 
that  which  was  raised  in  defence  of  the  Republic.  When  its 
numbers,  the  character  of  its  officers  and  men  for  intelligence, 


CONCLUSION.  491 

faithfulness  to  duty  and  patriotic  fervor,  the  spirit  of  persis- 
trace  which  animated  its  action,  and  wrung  the  victory  of  right 
from  the  desperation  of  injustice,  and  the  willingness  to  suffer 
and  to  do  all  needful  things,  are  considered,  the  verdict  of  his- 
tory must  be,  that  never  was  a  principle  more  loyally  served, 
and  never  was  its  triumph  more  gloriously  won.  We  have  to 
look  beyond  the  march  of  armies  and  the  din  of  battle,  to  see 
what  it  is  that  carries  the  day.  We  have  to  appreciate  the 
power  of  invisible  forces,  the  unrecognized  virtues  and  even  the 
unsuccessful  heroism,  with  which  every  great  contest  abounds, 
but  which  rarely  becomes  matter  of  public  knowledge,  if  we 
wish  to  understand  the  greatness  of  a  nation,  when  strusslins: 
for  its  liberty  and  its  life.  There  is  oftentimes  as  much  heroism 
in  the  humblest  homes  of  the  people,  as  on  the  most  famous 
battle  field.  Valor  in  action  secures  its  well-earned  meed  of 
honor,  but  calm  and  silent  endurance  also  has  its  exceeding: 
great  reward.  The  trust  in  God  which  alleviated  the  sorrows 
of  bereaved  affection,  the  uncomplaining  fortitude,  with  which 
the  pains  of  wounds  and  sickness,  and  the  loneliness  of  imprison- 
ment were  borne,  can  never  be  adecpiately  traced  by  any  human 
pen.  But  one  book — the  book  of  everlasting  life — is  alone  fit 
to  contain  such  a  glorious  record. 

The  soldiers  of  the  Ninth  Corps  can  count  many  a  comrade 
whose  nameless  grave  lies  far  away,  beneath  the  turf  of  south- 
ern plain,  forest  or  hill-side.  Many  were  compelled  to  suffer 
the  rigors  and  cruelties  of  southern  prisons,  and  to  become 
familiar  with  the  horrors  of  Belle  Isle,  Salisbury  and  Anderson- 
ville.  Of  the  fate  of  many  there  is  no  register  and  no  know- 
ledge, even  to  this  day.  They  left  their  homes,  they  gave  up 
the  things  which  most  men  think  dear,  they  entered  bravely 
into  the  struggle,  they  laid  down  their  lives  for  their  country, 
and  there  is  no  chronicle  of  their  virtues  except  in  the  memories 
of  those  who  mourn  their  loss.  They  sank  to  rest  in  the  silent 
earth — "  unknelled,  uncoffined  and  unknown."  It  is  manifest- 
ly impossible  to  speak  the  sufficient  praise  of  the  unlaurelled 
heroism  of  these  unnamed  martyrs  : 


492  LAST  TEAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 

"  The  thousands  that,  uncheered  by  praise, 
Have  made  one  offering  of  their  days  ; 
For  truth,  for  heaven,  for  freedom's  sake, 
Resigned  the  bitter  cup  to  take ; 
And  silently,  in  fearless  faith, 
Bowing  their  noble  souls  to  death." 

In  the  course  of  this  narrative,  notices  have  been  inserted,  from 
time  to  time,  of  officers  who  have  fallen  in  battle.  It  must  not 
be  supposed  that  these  alone  are  thought  to  be  the  subjects  of 
special  commendation.  Many  others,  both  of  officers  and  men, 
whose  names  do  not  appear  in  these  pages  have  been  equally 
deserving  and  equally  rich  in  wealth  of  duty,  courage  and  self- 
devotion.  Such  men  require  no  eulogy.  Every  life  which  has 
thus  been  given  has  aided  in  accomplishing  the  great  result  and 
in  making  secure  the  cause,  for  which  it  has  been  sacrificed. 
There  are  some  officers,  however,  who  are  mentioned  in  the 
reports  of  their  division  commanders  and  in  other  documents, 
and  who  should  not  be  permitted  to  pass  unnoticed.  One  such 
was  Major  Gilmour  of  the  48th  Pennsylvania,  who  was  mor- 
tally wounded  on  the  31st  of  May,  1864,  in  a  skirmish  near  the 
Tolopotomoy.  He  is  spoken  of  by  General  Potter  as  an 
invaluable  officer.  Another  was  Colonel  E.  Schall  of  the  51st 
Pennsylvania,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor. 
He  had  gone  through  all  the  campaigns  of  the  Corps,  occupying 
different  grades  and  always  manifesting  a  distinguished  bravery. 
He  at  one  time,  during  the  campaign  in  East  Tennessee,  com- 
manded the  second  brigade  of  the  second  division,  and  there 
proved  his  fitness  for  a  higher  post  than  the  command  of  a 
regiment.  He  was  gradually  but  surely  winning  his  promo- 
tion, when  death  put  an  end  to  his  honorable  career  on  earth. 

The  names  of  Major  Byington  of  the  second  Michigan,  who 
died  of  wounds  received  in  the  brilliant  action  before  Knox- 
ville  on  the  night  of  November  24th,  1863  ;  of  Adjutant  Noble, 
killed  in  the  same  action  ;  of  Captain  Bradley,  mortally  wound- 
ed June  17th,  1864 ;  of  Captain  Young  of  the  same  regiment, 
killed  in  the  battle  of  July  30th ;  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Com- 


CONCLUSION.  493 

stock  of  the  17th  Michigan,  mortally  wounded  November  24, 
1883  :  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Smith  of  the  20th  Michigan,  who 
was  killed  in  front  of  Knoxville,  November  16th,  1863 ;  of 
Adjutant  Seibert  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Weldon  Kail- 
road,  September  30th,  1864 ;  of  Captain  Wiltsie,  mortally 
wounded  in  front  of  Knoxville  ;  of  Captains  Dewey,  Carpenter, 
Blood  and  McCullom,  of  the  same  regiment,  who  fell  during 
the  campaign  of  1864  ;  of  Major  Piper  of  the  1st  Michigan 
sharpshooters  who  was  killed  at  Spottsylvania,  Major  Lewis 
of  the  8th  Michigan,  killed  at  Cold  Harbor,  and  Major  Moody 
of  the  27th  Michigan,  mortally  wounded  in  the  same  battle  on  the 
3d  of  June;  of  Zoellner,  Billingsly,  Galpin,  Steadman,  Stanley 
and  Clifton  Lee,  of  different  regiments,  who  fell  during  the  siege 
of  Knoxville,*  are  all  names  of  good  and  gallant  soldiers.  Mas- 
sachusetts, always  ready  with  her  offierings,  gave  her  best  and 
noblest.  Lientenant  Colonel  Rice,  Captains  Frazer,  Kelton, 
Clark,  Sampson  and  Gross  of  the  21st ;  Major  Chipman,  Chap- 
lain Hempstead,  Lieutenants  Collingwood,  Ripley  and  Pope 
of  the  29th ;  Major  Park,  Captains  Bartlett,  Niles,  and 
White  of  the  35th  ;  Captains  Hastings,  Buffum  and  Holmes, 
and  Lieutenants  Holmes,  Daniels  and  Howe  of  the  36th  ;  Ma- 
jor Putnam  of  the  56th,  Majors  Prescott  and  Doherty  of  the 
57th,  Major  Ewer,  and  Captains  Upham,  McFarland,  Johnson 
and  Harley  of  the  58th,  Colonel  Gould,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Hodges,  and  Captains  Munroe  and  Bean  of  the  59th — are  but 
a  few  of  those  who  were  faithful  unto  death.  Other  States 
have  suffered  equally  with  Michigan  and  Massachusetts.  The 
West  and  the  East  have  united  in  a  common  sacrifice  for  the 
salvation  of  the  country  which  both  have  served  and  loved. 
The  roll  of  honor  which  the  Ninth  Corps  has  made  is  indeed 
long,  bearing  the  names  of  many  true,  brave  and  faithful  men. 
A  single  volume  would  not  suffice  to  contain  the  story  of  their 
virtue  and  their  valor.  Their  memory  is  preserved  on  the  im- 
perishable record  which  love  and  friendship  keep. 

*The  batteries  around  Knoxville  received  the  names  of  the  officers  who  fell 
in  defence  of  the  town. 


494  LAST  YEAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 

Since  the  war  has  closed,  death  has  been  busy  among  those 
who  once  were  connected  with  General  Burnside's  command. 
The  members  of  his  own  military  family  have  not  escaped.  A 
tender  and  touching  interest  gathers  around  the  memory  of 
Lieutenant  Commander  Thomas  P  Ives.  Of  a  high  social  po- 
sition, the  centre  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  in  the  cities  of 
Providence  and  New  York,  endowed  with  the  graces  of  social 
refinement  and  a  liberal  education,  a  graduate  of  Brown  Uni- 
versity of  the  class  of  1854,  enjoying  the  opportunities,  com- 
forts and  luxuries  of  great  wealth,  Captain  Ives  represented,  in 
the  truest  manner,  that  worthy  class  of  our  people  whom  the 
war  for  the  Union  attracted  to  the  field.  His  honorable  career 
gave  the  best  possible  answer  to  the  unjust  reproach,  which 
our  enemies  at  home  and  abroad  cast  upon  the  loyal  States, 
that  the  best  of  our  citizens  kept  aloof  from  the  conflict.  At 
the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  Mr.  Ives  promptly  tendered 
the  services  of  himself  and  his  own  yacht  to  the  government, 
and  was  very  diligent  in  the  vigilance  which  he  exercised  in 
patrolling  the  waters  of  Chesapeake  Bay.  When  the  North 
Carolina  expedition  was  organized,  he  was  put  in  command  of 
the  gunboat  Picket,  and  his  services  in  that  capacity  are  suffi- 
ciently familiar  to  the  readers  of  this  volume.  Subserpaently 
to  the  operations  on  the  North  Carolina  coast,  he  was  appointed 
acting  Master  in  the  United  States  Navy,  and,  in  the  command 
of  the  steamer  Yankee,  was  very  effectively  employed  in  the 
Potomac  flotilla.     His  promotion  was  rapid. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  1863,  Mr.  Ives  was  appointed  acting 
volunteer  Lieutenant.  On  the  7th  of  November,  1864,  he 
was  advanced  to  the  grade  of  Lieutenant  Commander,  and  was 
assigned  to  Ordnance  duty  in  the  navy  yard  at  Washington. 
After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  granted  leave  of  absence  to 
recuperate  his  health,  which  had  been  impaired  in  the  service. 
He  visited  Europe  during  the  summer  of  1865,  and  was  mar- 
ried, on  the  19th  of  October,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Cabot  Motley, 
daughter  of  the  Amei-ican  Minister  at  Vienna.  On  the  way 
home,  decided  symptoms  of  consumption  appeared.     The  dis- 


CONCLUSION.  495 

ease  was  rapidly  developed,  and  he  died  at  Havre,  November 
17,  1865,  at  the  age  of  thirty-one.  A  life  of  great  promise  of 
usefulness  was  thus  early  quenched.  The  unfeigned  sorrow  of 
his  former  companions  and  of  the  entire  community  was  freely 
expressed.  It  was  felt  by  all  that  a  bright  and  shining  light 
had  been  extinguished,  and  that  no  greater  sacrifice  had  been 
made  during  the  war  than  that  of  this  true  and  noble  life. 

The  members  of  General  Burnside's  staff  have  been  generally 
fortunate  in  their  freedom  from  casualty  and  death.  They 
were  exposed  in  every  battle.  All  won  their  promotion 
by  their  uniform  daring  and  coolness.  Some,  with  great 
fearlessness,  like  Loring,  Cutting,  Richmond,  Pell,  Goddard, 
Parke,  Lydig  and  Harris,  distinguished  themselves  on  different 
fields,  and  gained  brevets  to  higher  rank  of  one,  two,  and  even 
three  grades.  But  with  the  exception  of  the  wound  of  Lieu- 
tenant Benjamin  and  the  death  of  Major  Morton,  they  escaped 
uninjured.  Captain  George  W  Gowan,  who  was  on  General 
Parke's  staff  while  in  front  of  Petersburg,  was  transferred  to 
the  command  of  the  48th  Pennsylvania,  and  was  killed  while 
serving  in  that  capacity.  He  was  a  brave  and  good  officer. 
Captain  Robert  A.  Hutchins,  of  General  Willcox's  staff,  a  par- 
ticularly faithful  and  gallant  soldier,  was  very  severely  wounded 
at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  For  a  time,  his  life  was  des- 
paired of,  but  he  recovered,  to  be  of  good  service  afterwards. 
Captain  Brackett,  an  officer  of  excellent  promise,  was  wounded 
in  the  action  on  the  Tolopotomoy. 

The  officers  of  the  staff,  subjected  to  the  exposure  and  priva- 
tions, which  they  endured  in  the  course  of  the  war,  were 
not  free  from  their  influence  after  its  conclusion.  Some  suffered 
from  illness  ;  no  less  than  three  have  died.  One  of  the  best 
and  most  faithful  of  this  company  of  friends  was  James  Lyman 
Van  Buren,  highly  esteemed  and  even  dearly  beloved  by  his 
comrades  and  his  chief.  He  was  born  June  21st,  1837, 
graduated  at  the  New  York  Free  Academy  in  1856,  remained 
awhile  as  resident  graduate,  and  then  began  the  study  of  law, 
spending  three   years  in  preparation  for  the   profession.     He 


496  LAST    YEAR    OF   THE   REBELLION. 

visited  Europe  in  the  summer  of  1860,  and  returned  in  Jan- 
uary, 1861.  Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Second  Lieutenant  in  the  53d  New  York,  known  as 
the  D'Epineuil  Zouaves.  At  Annapolis,  he  was  transferred  to 
the  signal  corps,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the  staff  of  Gen- 
eral Foster.  At  the  battles  of  Eoanoke  Island  and  Newbern, 
he  served  as  aide  de  camp,  and  received  the  merited  commenda- 
tions of  his  superior. 

On  the  23d  of  March,  1862,  Lieutenant  Van  Buren  was 
transferred  to  the  staff  of  General  Burnside,  and  acted  in  the 
capacity  of  Judge  Advocate.  When  Governor  Stanley  ar- 
rived in  North  Carolina,  he  applied  for  the  services  of  Lieu- 
tenant Van  Buren,  who  was  appointed  his  military  secretary. 
On  the  7th  of  July  he  was  promoted  to  Major,  and  was  as- 
signed to  duty  with  the  Ninth  Corps  as  aide  de  camp  to  its 
commander.  On  the  1st  of  December,  1862,  Major  Van  Buren 
was  taken  dangerously  ill,  and  thus  was  unable  to  participate 
in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg.  Partially  recovering,  he  ac- 
companied General  Burnside  to  Cincinnati,  when  assigned  to 
the  Department  of  the  Ohio.  In  all  the  stirring  scenes  that 
followed  in  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  East  Tennessee,  he  was  on 
active  and  constant  duty.     Through  the  arduous  campaign  of 

1864,  though  physical  weakness  mightwell  have  excused  his  ab- 
sence, he  was  always  at  hand,  attentive  and  especially  faithful 
in  the  discharge  of  every  duty.  For  his  services  in  this  cam- 
paign, he  was  promoted  to  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  and  af- 
terwards to  brevet  Colonel.  Subsequently  to  General  Burn- 
side's  retirement  from  the  corps,  Colonel  Van  Buren  served 
with  General  Parke,  remaining  upon  the  staff  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  For  his  faithfulness  in  this  respect,  he  received  the 
brevet  of  Brigadier  General.  When  General  Parke  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  Southern  District  of  New  York, 
General  Van  Buren  was  assigned  to  duty  on  his  staff.  While 
in  this  position,  he  was  struck  down  by  sickness,  in  August, 

1865,  and  died,  after  much  suffering  and  pain,  on  the  13th  of 
April,  1866.     He  was  a  man -of  singular  pure  mindedness, 


CONCLUSION.  497 

modesty  and  integrity  of  character.  He  acquired  the  entire 
confidence  of  all  his  associates,  and  was  beloved  by  his  friends 
with  a  peculiarly  strong  affection.  A  man  of  great  gentleness 
and  fearlessness,  he  was  also  a  man  of  much  practical  sagacity. 
His  counsel  was  always  wise,  and  his  rare  manliness  gave  unu- 
sual weight  to  the  opinions  which  he  expressed.  He  devoted 
the  prime  of  his  early  manhood  to  the  service  of  his  country, 
and  though  he  died  unwounded,  it  was  as  complete  a  sacrifice 
as  though  he  had  fallen  on  the  field  of  battle. 

There  are,  in  an  army,  positions  and  duties,  which  are  not 
brought  prominently  into  view,  but  which  are  especially  neces- 
sary for  the  efficiency  of  all  military  operations.  It  is  not  often 
that  the  medical  department  receives  particular  notice,  or  the 
highest  commendation.  The  glory  of  war  is  supposed  to  belong 
to  illustrious  deeds  on  the  field,  rather  than  to  patient  fidelity  in 
the  hospital.  Yet  whoever  rightfully  values  the  character  of 
genuine  faithfulness  and  true  heroism,  must  acknowledge  that 
the  medical  officer  who  thoroughly  performs  his  duty,  is  filling 
one  of  the  most  important  positions  that  can  be  named.  The 
post  of  the  Surgeon  is  not  always  one  of  great  danger.  It  does 
not  usually  require  personal  exposure  to  the  missiles  of  death, 
but  it  does  demand  the  most  watchful  care,  a  wise  discretion, 
and  most  scrupulous  and,  at  times,  laborious  fidelity.  The 
preservation  of  the  health  of  an  army  while  lying  in  camp,  the 
proper  treatment  of  wounds  after  a  battle,  and  the  recuperation 
of  strength  after  exhausting  labors  and  marches,  are  certainly 
duties  of  the  greatest  consequence.  The  commanding  general 
is  indebted  for  the  effectiveness  of  his  military  movements, 
more  than  he  may  sometimes  think,  to  the  silent  and  unobtru- 
sive labors  of  his  corps  of  Surgeons.  The  health  of  the  soldiers 
is  necessary  to  their  morale,  and  their  morale  is  an  essential 
element  for  their  achievement  of  victory.  Physical  and  moral 
feebleness  is  the  sure  condition  of  defeat. 

The  Ninth  Corps  was  fortunate  in  its  medical  officers.     Doc- 
tors Church,  McDonald,  Rivers,  Harris  and  Dalton,  were  all 
men  who  were  skilful  in  their  profession   and  trustworthy  in 
63 


498  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION. 

their  character.  Doctors  Eivers  and  Harris  were  enaap'ed  in 
the  war  through  almost  its  entire  course.  They  served  under 
General  Burnside  when  he  was  Colonel  of  the  First  Rhode  Isl- 
and, and  they  continued  with  the  Ninth  Corps  during  their  sub- 
sequent terms  of  service.  Doctor  Harris  was  taken  prisoner  at 
the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  having  preferred  to  stay  with  the 
wounded  to  following  the  retreating  army.  He  remained  a 
captive  until  the  sick  and  wounded  prisoners  of  the  First  and 
2d  Rhode  Island  were  beyond  the  need  of  his  services,  when 
he  was  released  on  his  parole.  Having  accomplished  an  ex- 
change, he  was  appointed  Surgeon  of  the  7th  Rhode  Island, 
and  in  that  capacity  joined  the  Ninth  Corps.  He  served 
with  the  Corps  until  the  close  of  the  war,  passing  through  the 
several  grades  of  brigade  and  division  Surgeon,  until  he  became 
Medical  Director.  In  every  position,  he  exhibited  the  charac- 
teristics of  a  remarkably  diligent  and  devoted  officer.  A  former 
experience  in  the  Russian  army  in  the  Crimean  campaign  gave 
him  a  great  advantage  in  his  profession,  and  enabled  him  to  be 
of  the  utmost  service  in  every  position  which  he  filled.  He 
retired  to  civil  life,  bearing  with  him  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  all  his  associates. 

Dr.  Rivers  served  from  the  commencement  of  the  war  until 
near  its  close,  as  Surgeon  of  the  First  Rhode  Island,  of  the 
4th  Rhode  Island,  of  the  third  brigade  in  North  Carolina,  of 
the  third  division  of  the  Ninth  Corps  ;  as  acting  Medical  Di- 
rector of  the  corps,  as  Surgeon  at  headquarters  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  and  of  the  Department  of  the  Ohio  ;  as  Surgeon 
in  chief  of  Kautz's  cavalry  division  during  the  campaign  of  1864. 
He  proved  himself  an  able  and  efficient  medical  officer.  After 
finishing  his  term  of  service,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Providence. 

Dr.  Dalton  entered  the  service  as  Surgeon  of  a  New  York 
regiment,  and  served  in  the  Peninsular  campaign  under  Gen- 
eral McClellan.  He  continued  with  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, gradually  rising  in  rank  and  in  the  confidence  of  his  su- 
perior officers,  until,  in  the  autumn  of  1864,  he  was  assigned  to 


CONCLUSION.  499 

duty  in  the  Ninth  Corps  as  its  Medical  Director.  A  gentleman 
of  great  skill  and  wide  attainments  in  his  profession,  a  man  of 
a  high  and  honorable  spirit,  a  genial  companion,  and  a  faithful 
officer,  he  won  largely  upon  the  respect  of  his  brother  officers, 
and  left  the  service  with  the  kindest  expressions  of  interest  and 
friendship  from  all  his  companions  in  duty. 

Since  the  close  of  the  war,  Doctors  Church  and  McDonald 
have  fallen  victims  to  disease.  William  Henry  Church  was 
born  in  Angelica,  Alleghany  County,  New  York,  June  6, 1826. 
His  father  was  Hon.  Philip  Church,  and  his  grandmother  was 
a  daughter  of  General  Philip  Schuyler.  Educated  at  Canan- 
daigua  and  Geneva,  he  chose  the  profession  of  medicine, 
commenced  the  study  in  1846,  graduated  at  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  the  spring  of  1849,  and  entered 
upon  practice  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  the  year  1851,  with 
every  prospect  of  abundant  success.  He  was  appointed  Sur- 
geon of  Volunteers  August  3,  1861,  and,  upon  the  organization 
of  the  North  Carolina  expedition,  was  assigned  to  duty  as  Med- 
ical Director  of  General  Burnside's  army. 

Dr.  Church  served  with  General  Burnside  when  in  com- 
mand of  the  Ninth  Corps,  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  of 
the  Department  of  the  Ohio.  Highly  valued  and  always  trusted, 
he  shared  the  tent  of  his  commanding  general  while  in  the  field. 
In  this  intimate  relation,  he  became  more  like  a  confidential 
friend  and  adviser  than  a  subordinate  officer.  His  physical 
health  was  never  strong,  and  it  was  seriously  impaired  by  the 
hardships  and  privations  to  which  he  had  been  exposed.  On 
the  26th  of  October,  1863,  he  was  obliged  to  resign  his  com- 
mission as  Medical  Director  of  the  corps.  General  Burnside's 
estimate  of  his  character  and  value  of  his  services  can  be  un- 
derstood by  the  language,  which  he  used  in  accepting  Dr. 
Church's  resignation.  In  an  order  dated  December  5,  1863, 
the  commanding  general  said,  that  he  could  not  "  part  from  an 
officer  who  has  been  so  long  prominently  associated  with  him, 
without  some  public  expression  of  his  acknowledgment  of  the 
laborious  and  important  services,  which   Dr.  Church  has  per- 


500  LAST  YEAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 

formed.  Identified  with  the  staff  from  its  earliest  organization, 
he  has  shared  its  fortunes  in  the  many  scenes  of  danger  and 
trial  through  which  it  has  passed,  and  when  the  occasion,  re- 
quired, has  been  always  ready,  in  addition  to  the  manifold  du- 
ties of  his  department,  to  perform  those  of  an  aide  in  the  field, 
until  impaired  health  has  compelled  the  tender  ofx  his  resigna- 
tion." 

In  February,  1864,  Dr.  Church  visited  New  Orleans,  and  in 
October,  1865,  he  went  to  Europe,  with  the  hope  that  a  change 
of  climate  would  restore  his  health ;  but  the  hope  was  vain. 
He  died  from  hemorrhage  from  the  lungs  at  Pau,  in  the  south 
of  France,  September  27th,  1866,  leaving  a  large  circle  of 
friends  to  mourn  his  untimely  decease.  The  singular  fidelity 
with  which  he  pei'formed  every  duty,  the  manliness  of  his 
character,  and  his  engaging  and  amiable  disposition  attracted 
towards  him  all  who  came  within  the  range  of  his  influence. 
The  members  of  the  original  staff  were  bound  to  him  by  pecu- 
liarly strong  ties.  Not  only  had  he  been  their  comrade  in  duty 
and  danger,  but  he  had  also  sustained  towards  them  the  tender 
and  close  relation  of  a  family  physician. 

Dr.  John  E.  McDonald  succeeded  to  the  position  vacated  by 
Dr.  Church,  and  diligently  performed  its  duties  during  the 
time  of  his  connection  with  the  corps.  Dr.  McDonald  was 
of  Irish  parentage,  and  exhibited  through  life  those  traits  of 
generosity,  enthusiasm  and  adventurous  daring,  which  have  at 
all  times  distinguished  the  character  of  his  countrymen.  In 
boyhood,  he  attracted  the  attention  of  Dr.  Elliott  of  New  York, 
who  manifested  great  interest  in  him,  took  him  into  his  office, 
and  was  instrumental  in  giving  him  a  medical  education.  He 
accordingly  graduated  in  1854  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons.  After  his  graduation,  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
treatment  of  the  eye,  became  favorably  known,  secured  a  very 
lucrative  practice,  and  excited  warm  hopes  of  future  distinction 
in  the  profession. 

Dr.  McDonald  entered  the  service  as  Surgeon  of  the  79th 
New  York,  and  went  through  the  campaigns  in  South  Carolina 


CONCLUSION.  501 

and  with  the  Ninth  Corps,  in  which  that  regiment  hore  a  dis- 
tinguished part.  He  was  appointed  Surgeon  of  Yolunteers 
April  13th,  1863,  and  still  continued  on  duty  with  the  Corps, 
manifesting  a  decided  skill  and  effectiveness  in  the  posts  of 
brigade  and  division  Surgeon  and  Medical  Inspector.  He 
came  cast  with  the  Corps  in  the  spring  of  1801,  and  passed 
through  the  campaign  of  the  following  summer,  making  for 
himself  an  honorable  record.  The  exposures  of  the  service, 
and  the  unwonted  labors  that  fell  upon  the  medical  department 
of  the  army,  wore  upon  and  weakened  his  health,  and  in  the 
autumn  he  felt  compelled  to  seek  a  less  exhausting  duty.  He 
was  accordingly  relieved  from  active  service  in  the  field,  and 
was  assigned  to  the  superintendence  of  a  general  hospital  at 
Philadelphia.  At  the  close  "of  the  war,  he  returned  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  But  having  acquired  a  taste  for 
army  life,  he  decided  once  more  to  enter  the  service.  He  was 
examined  for  the  position  of  Surgeon  in  the  regular  army,  se- 
cured the  appointment,  and  immediately  began  his  work.  As- 
signed to  duty  at  the  West,  he  was  stationed  at  Jefferson  bar- 
racks, St.  Louis.  The  advent  of  the  cholera  in  the  summer  of 
1866  put  upon  him  severe  burdens,  which  he  took  up  with  his 
accustomed  energy.  But  his  toil  overcame  him,  and  lie  fell  a 
victim  himself  to  the  pestilence  from  which  he  was  endeavoring 
to  save  others.  He  died,  leaving  behind  him  the  memory  of  a 
true,  brave  and  devoted  man. 

No  narrative  of  military  operations  during  the  rebellion 
would  be  complete,  without  notice  of  the  labors  of  the  Sani- 
tary and  Christian  Commissions.  To  the  former,  particularly, 
not  only  our  own  country,  but  also  the  entire  civilized  world  is 
indebted  for  help  in  the  elucidation  of  the  great  problem  of  alle- 
viating, if  not  preventing  disease  among  large  bodies  of  men. 
It  is  well  known  that  armies  are  depleted  by  other  causes  than 
casualties  in  battle.  The  Sanitary  Commission  undertook  the 
task  at  the  very  outset,  of  ascertaining  and  providing  for  the 
needs  of  the  soldiers  in  camp  and  on  the  field.  The  object  was 
to  preserve  the  health    and    the   strength  of  the  armies  which 


502  LAST    YEAR   OF   THE   REBELLION. 

were  raising,  to  check  the  progress  of  disease,  to  furnish  arti- 
cles for  the  hospitals  and  for  the  individual  sick  and  wounded, 
which  were  not  contemplated  in  the  army  regulations,  to  care 
for  soldiers  who  were  in  transitu  from  camp  to  home,  or  from 
home  to  camp,  to  collect  statistics  on  all  the  various  subjects 
which  pertained  to  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  army,  and,  in 
short,  to  do  all  the  work  which  was  requisite  for  the  aid  and 
comfort  of  the  sick,  the  wounded,  the  disabled  and  the  be- 
reaved. 

The  Sanitary  Commission  was  the  organized  benevolence  of 
the  nation,  as  applied  to  the  army.  An  appeal  was  made  to 
the  people  at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  The  people,  particularly 
the  women  of  the  nation,  responded  nobly,  generously,  cease- 
lessly. A  stream  of  contributions'in  supplies  and  money  flowed 
into  the  storehouses  and  treasury  of  the  Commission.  For  fivo 
years  it  continued.  This  good  will  and  liberality  never  gave 
the  slightest  indication  of  exhaustion.  When  the  war  ended, 
the  Commission  was  supplied  for  a  long  campaign.  The 
people  were  not  deceived.  They  did  not  give  in  vain.  The 
agents  of  the  Commission  were  prompt,  vigilant  and  active  on 
every  battle  field  and  in  every  hospital.  Sometimes  they  were 
the  first  on  the  ground  with  their  needed  supplies.  Often 
they  were  among  the  last  to  leave.  The  Ninth  Corps,  in  com- 
mon with  the  rest  of  the  army,  was  the  recipient  of  the  bounty 
which  the  two  Commissions  dispensed.  Many  a  poor  fellow, 
far  away  from  home  and  friends,  had  them  brought  to  him  by 
the  kindness  of  these  benevolent  associations  and  their  agents. 
His  loneliness  was  cheered,  his  mind  soothed,  and  his  dying 
moments  blest,  as  he  was  taught  to  feel  that  Christian  sympathy 
was  freely  given  him,  and  Christian  love  had  chosen  him  for  its 
special  object. 

There  is  another  class  of  men,  filling  a  comparatively  obscure 
position,  but  performing  a  vast  amount  of  useful  labor  in  the 
promotion  of  the  effectiveness  of  an  army.  The  Chaplains, 
who  have  served  in  the  hospital  or  in  the  field,  have  rendered 
an  inestimable,  though  not  always  recognized   service  in  the 


CONCLUSION.  503 

cause  of  the  Union.  Their  names  very  seldom  appeared  in 
official  reports,  but  the  duties  which  they  performed,  when  faith- 
fully discharged,  were  of  the  utmost  benefit.  They  have  been 
subject  to  all  the  casualties  of  a  soldier's  career.  Some  have 
suffered  imprisonment,  others  have  received  wounds,  others 
have  contracted  disease  and  died,  and  others  still  have  lost 
their  lives  on  the  field  of  battle,  while  performing  the  duties  of 
their  sacred  profession.  A  Chaplain's  status  in  the  army  has 
never  been  defined.  He  was  an  officer,  yet  he  had  no  rank, 
and  could  exercise  no  authority  except  that  which  his  personal 
influence  commanded.  Most  frequently,  if  he  were  a  man  of 
faithful  spirit  and .  of  active  temperament,  he  was  a  servant 
of  all  work.  It  has  sometimes  been  the  case,  that  the  Chaplain 
of  a  regiment  has  been  called  upon  to  fill  the  position  of  post- 
master, teacher,  amanuensis,  private  secretary,  aide  de  camp, 
and  even  commissary  and  quarter  master,  while  the  Surgeons 
in  the  regimental  hospitals  have  at  all  times  felt  justified  in 
calling  upon  him  for  aid.  Left  in  charge  of  the  wounded  after 
a  battle,  when  the  army  has  been  compelled  to  retreat,  Chap- 
lains have  not  unfrequently  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
It  is  true  that,  in  some  cases,  they  have  not  been  retained  as 
prisoners  for  any  long  period.  "  We  don't  want  Yankee  Chap- 
lains in  the  South,"  said  General  Stuart  to  Chaplain  Ball  of 
the  21st  Massachusetts,  after  the  battle  of  Chantilly,  when  he 
learned  the  name  and  position  of  his  prisoner;  "I  think  .we 
will  let  you  go."  But  all  rebel  officers  were  not  so  lenient  as 
the  good-natured  cavalrv  general.  Some  of  the  Chaplains  who 
were  captured  were  treated  with  great  severity,  and  still  bear 
the  marks  of  their  confinement. 

The  labors  of  these  officers  and  the  influence  which  they 
have  exerted,  belong  rather  to  the  unseen  and  unwritten  part 
•of  life,  than  to  that  which  is  apparent  and  well  under- 
stood. Certainly  there  was  no  place  where  religious  teaching 
was  more  needed  than  in  the  army,  and  there  was  no  better  or 
more  encouraging  field  to  an  industrious  and  faithful  man. 
The  influence  which  a  good   Chaplain  exerted  was  not  alto- 


504  LAST    YEAR    OF   THE   REBELLION. 

getlier  temporary.  It  remains  and  does  Its  silent  work,  lono- 
after  the  official  connection  between  him  and  the  soldier  has 
ceased.  Men  like  James  of  the  25th  Massachusetts,  who,  at 
the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island,  personally  served  the  gun  of  a 
battery,  the  men  of  which  had  been  disabled  ;  Benton  of  the 
51st  New  York,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Newbern,  while 
in  attendance  upon  the  wounded  and  dying  men  of  his  regi- 
ment ;  Ball  of  the  21st  Massachusetts,  who,  at  the  battle  of 
Camden,  and  in  the  movements  of  the  regiment,  performed  at 
different  times  the  duties  of  every  office  of  the  regimental  staff; 
Hunting  of  the  27th  Michigan,  who  was  always  active,  .zealous 
and  efficient  in  the  camp  and  field ;  and  others,  less  known,  but 
not  less  faithful,  have,  in  the  course  of  the  war,  done  a 
work  the  results  of  which  are  permanent  in  their  duration. 
Upon  men  placed  in  the  circumstances  of  a  soldier's  life,  if 
there  is  any  receptivity  of  good  influences,  religious  services, 
conducted  by  a  sincere  and  devoted  man,  have  a  wonderful 
effect.  They  are  a  restraint,  an  encouragement,  a  help,  and  an 
inspiration.  The  uncertainty  of  the  life  in  which  these  men 
are  engaged,  the  necessity  of  obeying  the  commands  of  a  supe- 
rior at  any  moment,  without  any  question  and  in  utter  igno- 
rance of  what  may  be  the  issue,  and  the  consequent  loss,  to  a 
certain  extent,  of  self-confidence,  naturally  induce  a  feeling  of 
dependence  on  a  higher  Power.  It  is  a  time  when  trust  in 
Divine  Providence  can  be  awakened  and  obedience  to  Divine 
laws  enforced.  The  most  thoughtless  must  be  affected  in  some 
decree,  even  though  no  apparent  result  is  produced.  In  sub- 
sequent hours,  the  words  and  personal  influence  of  the  religious 
teacher  will  be  remembered,  recognized  and  felt.  Or,  if 
death  has  come  upon  the  field  or  in  the  hospital,  it  is  certainly  a 
satisfaction  to  know  that  the  last  hours  of  many  a  dying  soldier 
have  been  solaced,  and  his  pains  assuaged  by  the  kindly  and 
o-entle  ministrations  of  the  devoted  Chaplain,  who  has  pointed 
the  struggling  spirit  to  a  world  of  unfading  brightness  and 
e'ternal  peace. 

There  is  still  another  class  of  men,  whom  not  to  mention 


CONCLUSION.  505 

would  be  an  act  of  injustice  as  well  as  neglect.  These  are 
known  as  "  the  rank  and  file  "  of  our  volunteer  army.  The 
private  soldier  does  not  always  receive  the  attention  and  the 
grateful  acknowledgment  which  his  services  merit.  In  the 
great  war  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  the  enlisted  men  of 
the  army  have  been  for  the  most  part  especially  remarkable  for 
the  readiness,  with  which  they  first  entered  upon  the  duty,  the 
fearlessness  which  they  manifested  in  the  contest,  the  spirit  of 
self-sqprifice  with  which  they  exposed  and,  by  thousands,  laid 
down  their  lives,  and  for  the  facility  with  which  the  survivors 
reentered,  upon  peaceful  occupations  and  became  once  more 
absorbed  into  the  life  of  the  State.  In  recounting  the  more 
distinguished  service  of  officers  high  in  command,  the  claims  of 
the  private  soldier  to  an  honorable  recognition  should  not  be 
overlooked. 

There  were  many  cases  of  young  men  of  the  best  social  posi- 
tion, of  fine  scholarship  and  even  of  great  wealth,  who  volun- 
teered to  serve  as  privates  in  the  armies  of  the  Union.  Many  who 
enlisted  in  the  three  months'  reo-inients  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  served  again  as  officers  in  regiments  subsecpiently  organized 
for  a  longer  period.  Of  the  members  of  General  Burnside's  staff, 
Messrs.  Richmond,  Goddard,  Pell,  French  and  Cutts  were  pri- 
vates in  the  First  Rhode  Island.  This  regiment  alone  furnished 
from  its  private  soldiers  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  twenty 
officers  of  all  grades  in  the  army  from  Second  Lieutenant  to 
brevet  Brigadier  General,  and  twelve  officers  in  the  navy. 
This  is  but  a  single  instance.  Other  regiments  could  doubtless 
furnish  its  parallel.  Add  to  these  the  promotions  which  have 
been  made  from  the  ranks,  and  some  estimate  can  be  made  of 
the  character  of  those  who  have  occupied  the  humble  position 
of  the  private  soldier. 

One  of  the  best  features  of  the  war  has  been  manifested  in 
the  alacrity  with  which  our  young  men  of  all  classes  and  con- 
ditions undertook  the  dangerous  duty.  What  a  contribution 
was  made  by  the  sturdy  yeomanry  of  the  free  States !  How 
readily  did  the  laboring  men  furnish  their  quota  to  fill  the 
64 


506  LAST  YEAR  OF  THE  REBELLION. 

ranks !  All  were  ready  and  even  eager  to  participate  in  the 
perils  and  privations  of  the  camp  and  the  field.  Accustomed 
to  the  free  and  independent  life  of  northern  communities,  they 
yet  learned  the  difficult  lesson  of  obedience  and  self-abnega- 
tion. Wonted  to  think  for  themselves,  they  yet  brought  them- 
selves to  the  unquestioning  action  which  the  discipline  of  the 
army  required.  Few  were  the  rewards  for  which  their  ambi- 
tion looked.  By  them,  little  distinction  was  to  be  won.  Little 
glory  would  gather  round  their  names.  Their  chief  incentive 
was  a  spirit  of  fidelity  to*  the  duty  which  the  Eepublic  de- 
manded. That  duty  they  well  and  thoroughly  performed. 
The  State  which  the  fathers  founded  the  sons  with  equal  virtue 
preserved.  They  carried  their  country  through  the  hour  of  its 
extreme  peril,  and  proved  to  all  the  nations  of  the  world  that 
';  the  government  of  the  people,  by  the  people  and  for  the  peo- 
ple," was  not  to  "  perish  from  the  earth."  In  concluding  this 
narrative  of  the  campaigns  through  which  the  Ninth  Army 
Corps  passed,  let  the  final  word  be  a  grateful  tribute  to  the 
courage,  the  fortitude,  the  loyalty  and  self-devotion  which  the 
private  soldiers  exhibited  on  every  scene  of  action,  suffering  or 
death  ! 


PROCLAMATION  OF  THE  UNION  COMMANDERS 


NORTH  CAROLINA. 


GENERAL  BURNSIDE'S  STATEMENT 


VALLANDIOHAM    CASE. 


ROSTER 


NINTH    CORPS. 


PROCLAMATION 


OF  THE  UNION  COMMANDERS  TO  THE  PEOPLE  OP  NORTH 

CAROLINA. 


Roanoke  Island,  N.  C,  February  16th,  1862. 

The  mission  of  our  joint  expedition  is  not  to  invade  any  of  your  rights, 
but  to  assert  the  authority  of  the  United  States,  and  to  close  with  you  the 
desolating  war  brought  upon  your  State  by  comparatively  a  few  bad  men 
in  the  midst  of  you. 

Influenced  infinitely  more  by  the  worst  passions  of  human  nature  than 
by  any  show  of  elevated  reason,  they  are  still  urging  you  astray  to  gratify 
their  unholy  purposes. 

They  impose  upon  your  credulity  by  telling  you  of  wicked  and  even  dia- 
bolical intentions  on  our  part — of  our  desire  to  destroy  your  freedom,  demol- 
ish your  property,  liberate  your  slaves,  injure  your  women,  and  such  like 
enormities — all  of  which,  we  assure  you,  is  not  only  ridiculous,  but  utterly 
and  wilfully  false.  Those  men  are  your  worst  enemies.  They,  in  truth, 
have  drawn  you  into  your  present  condition,  and  are  the  real  disturbers  of 
your  peace  and  the  happiness  of  your  firesides. 

We  invite  you  in  the  name  of  the  Constitution,  and  in  that  of  virtuous 
loyalty  and  civilization,  to  separate  yourselves  at  once  from  their  malign  in- 
fluence, to  return  to  your  allegiance,  and  not  compel  us  to  resort  further  to 
the  force  under  our  control. 

We  are  Christians  as  well  as  yourselves,  and  we  profess  to  know  full 
well,  and  to  feel  profoundly  the  sacred  obligations  of  that  character.  No  ap- 
prehension need  be  entertained  that  the  demands  of  humanity  or  justice 
will  be  disregarded.  We  shall  inflict  no  injury,  unless  forced  to  do  so  by 
your  own  acts,  and  upon  this  you  may  confidently  rely. 

The  Government  asks  only  that  its  authority  may  be  recognized,  and,  we 
repeat,  in  no  manner  or  way  does  it  desire  to  interfere  with  your  laws  con- 
stitutionally established,  your  institutions  of  any  kind  whatever,  your  prop- 
erty of  any  sort,  your  usages  in  any  respect. 

L.  M.  GOLDSBOROUGH, 
Flag  Officer  Commanding  North  Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron. 

A.  E.  BURNSIDE, 
Brigadier  General  Commanding  Department  of  North  Carolina. 


STATEMENT 


OF   MAJOR    GENERAL,    BURNSIDE,    IN    THE    VALLANDIGHAM 

CASE,  IN  ANSWER  TO  THE  BRISONER's  APPLICATION 

FOR   THE    WRIT    OF    HABEAS    CORPUS. 


Headquarters  Depastment  of  the  Ohio.) 
Cincinnati,  O.,  May  11,  1863.  f 

To  the  Honorable  the  Circuit  Court  of  the   United  States  within  and  for  the 
Southern  District  of  Ohio  : 

The  undersigned,  commanding  the  Department  of  the  Ohio,  having  re- 
ceived notice  from  the  Clerk  of  said  Court,  thac  an  application  for  the  allow- 
ance of  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  will  be  made  this  morning  before  your  Honor, 
on  behalf  of  Clement  L.  Vallandigham,  now  a  prisoner  in  my  custody,  asks 
leave  to  submit  to  the  Court  the  following  Statement : 

If  I  were  to  indulge  in  wholesale  criticisms  of  the  policy  of  the  Govern- 
ment, it  would  demoralize  the  army  under  my  command,  and  every  friend 
of  his  country  would  call  me  a  traitor.  If  the  officers  or  soldiers  were  to 
indulge  in  such  criticisms,  it  would  weaken  the  army  to  the  extent  of  their 
influence  ;  and  if  this  criticism  were  universal  in  the  army,  it  would  cause  it 
to  be  broken  to  pieces,  the  Government  to  be  divided,  our  homes  to  be  in- 
vaded, and  anarchy  to  reign.  My  duty  to  my  Government  forbids  me  to 
indulge  in  such  criticisms ;  officers  and  soldiers  are  not  allowed  so  to  in- 
dulge, and  this  course  will  be  sustained  by  all  honest  men.  Now  I  will  go 
further.  We  are  in  a  state  of  «ivil  war.  One  of  the  States  of  this  Depart- 
ment is  at  this  moment  invaded,  and  three  others  have  been  threatened.  I 
command  the  Department,  and  it  is  my  duty  to  my  country  and  to  this 
army,  to  keep  it  in  the  best  possible  condition ;  to  see  that  it  is  fed,  clad, 
armed,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  see  that  it  is  encouraged.  If  it  is  my  duty 
and  the  duty  of  the  troops  to  avoid  saying  anything  that  would  weaken  the 
army,  by  preventing  a  single  recruit  from  joining  the  ranks,  by  bringing  the 
laws  of  Congress  into  disrepute,  or  by  causing  dissatisfaction  in  the  ranks,  it 
is  equally  the  duty  of  every  citizen  in  the  Department  to  avoid  the  same 
evil.  If  it  is  my  duty  to  prevent  the  propagation  of  this  evil  in  the  army, 
or  in  a  portion  of  my  Department,  it  is  equally  my  duty  in  all  portions  of  it ; 
and  it  is  my  duty  to  use  all  the  force  in  my  power  to  stop  it.  If  I  were  to 
find  a  man  from  the  enemy's  country  distributing  in  my  camps  speeches  of 
their  public  men,  that  tended  to  demoralize  the  troops,  or  to  destroy  their 


STATEMENT.  511 

confidence  in  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  Government,  I  would  have 
him  tried,  and  hung,  if  -found  guilty,  and  all  the  rules  of  modern  -warfare 
would  sustain  me.  Why  should  such  speeches  from  -our  own  public  men  be 
allowed  ?  The  press  and  public  men,  in  a  great  emergency  like  the  pres- 
ent, should  avoid  the  use  of  party  epithets  and  bitter  invectives,  and  discour- 
age the  organization  of  secret  political  societies,  which  are  always  undigni- 
fied and  disgraceful  to  a  free  people,  but  which  now  are  absolutely  wrono-  and 
injurious ; — creating  dissensions  'and  discord,  which  just  "now  amount  to 
treason.  The  simple  names  "  Patriot "  and  "  Traitor  "  are  comprehensive 
enough.  As  I  before  said,  we  are  in  a  state  of  civil  war,  and  an  emergency 
is  upon  us  which  requires  the  operations  of  some  power,  that  moves  more 
quickly  than  the  civil.  There  never  was  a  war  carried  on  successfully 
without  the  exercise  of  that  power.  It  is  said  that  the  speeches  which  are 
condemned  have  been  made  in  the  presence  of  large  bodies  of  citizens,  who, 
if  they  thought  them  wrong,  would  have  then  and  there  condemned  them. 
That  is  no  argument.  These  citizens  do  not  realize  the  effect  upon  the 
armies  of  our  country,  who  are  its  defenders.  They  have  never  been  in  the 
field ;  never  faced  the  enemies  of  their  country  ;  never  undergone  the  pri- 
vations of  our  soldiers  in  the  field :  and,  besides,  they  have  been  in  the  habit 
of  hearing  their  public  men  speak,  and,  as  a  general  thing,  of  approving  of 
what  they  say.  Therefore,  the  greater  responsibility  rests  upon  the  public 
men  and  upon  the  public  press,  and  it  behooves  them  to  be  careful  as  to 
what  they  say.  They  must  not  use  license  and  plead  that  they  are  exer- 
cising liberty.  In  this  Department,  it  cannot  be  done.  I  shall  use  all  the 
power  I  have  to  break  down  such  license,  and  I  am  sure  I  will  be  sustained 
in  this  course  by  all  honest  men.  At  all  events,  I  will  have  the  conscious- 
ness, before  God,  of  having  done  my  duty  to  my  country ;  and  when  I  am 
swerved  from  the  performance  of  that  duty  by  any  pressure,  public  or  pri- 
vate, or  by  any  prejudice,  I  will  no  longer  be  a  man  or  a  patriot.  I  again 
assert,  that  every  power  I  possess  on  earth,  or  that  is  given- me  from  above, 
will  be  used  in  defence  of  my  Government,  on  all  occasions,  at  all  times,  and 
in  all  places  within  this  Department.  There  is  no  party — no  community — 
no  State  Government — no  State  Legislative  body — no  corporation  or  body 
of  men  that  have  the  power  to  inaugurate  a  war  policy  that  has  the  validity 
of  law  and  power,  but  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  Government  of  the 
United  States;  and  I  am  determined  to  support  their  policy.  If  the  people 
do  not  approve  that  policy,  they  can  change  the  constitutional  authorities  of 
that  Government  at  the  proper  time  and  by  the  proper  method.  Let  them 
freely  discuss  the  policy  in  a  proper  tone ;  but  my  duty  requires  me  to  stop 
license  and  intemperate  discussion,  which  tend  to  weaken  the  authority  of 
the  Government  and  army. .  Whilst  the  latter  is  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy, 
it  is  cowardly  so  to  weaken  it.  This  license  could  not  be  used  in  our  camps— 
he  man  would  be  torn  in  pieces  who  would  attempt  it.     There  is  no  fear  of 


512  STATEMENT. 

the  people  losing  their  liberties  ;  we   all  know  that  to  be  the  cry  of  dema- 
gogues, and  none  but  the  ignorant  will  listen  to  it.     All  intelligent  men 
know  that  our  people  are  too  for  advanced  in  the  scale  of  religion,  civiliza- 
tion, education  and  freedom  to  allow  any  power  on  earth  to  interfere  with 
their  liberties  ;  but  the  same  advancement  in  these  great  characteristics  of 
our  people  teaches  them  to  make  all  necessary  sacrifices  for  their  country 
when  an  emergency  requires.     They  will  support  the  constituted  authorities 
of  the  Government,  whether  they  agree  with  them  or  not.    Indeed,  the  army 
itself  is  a  part  of  the  people,  and  is  so  thoroughly  educated  in  the  love  of 
civil  liberty,  which  is  the  best  guarantee  for  the  permanence  of  our  repub- 
lican institutions,  that  it  would  itself  be  the  first  to  oppose  any  attempt  to 
continue  the  exercise  of  military  authority  after  the  establishment  of  peace 
by  the  overthrow  of  the  rebellion,     iNo  man  on  earth  can  lead  our  citizen 
soldiery  to  the  establishment  of  a  military  despotism,  and  no  man  living 
would  have  the  folly  to  attempt  it.     To  do  so,  would  be  to  seal  his  own 
doom.     On  this  point,  there  can  be  no  ground  for  apprehension  on  the  part 
of  the  people.     It  is  said  that  we  can  have  peace  if  we  lay  down  our  arms. 
All  sensible  men  know  this  to  be  untrue.     Were  it  so,  ought  we  to  be  so 
cowardly  as  to  lay  them  down  until  the  authority  of  the  Government  is  ac- 
knowledged ?     I  beg- to  call   upon  the  fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  sisters, 
sons,  daughters,  relatives,  friends  and  neighbors  of  the  soldiers  in  the  field  to 
aid  me  in  stopping  this  license  and  intemperate  discussion,  which  is  discour- 
aging our  armies,  weakening  the  hands  of  the   Government,  and  thereby 
strengthening  the  enemy.     If  we  use  our  honest  efforts,  Gol  will  bless  us 
with  a  glorious  peace  and  a  united  country.     .Men  of  every  shade  of  opinion 
have  the  same  vital  interest  in  the  suppression   of  this  rebellion ;  for,  should 
we  fail  in  the  task,  the  dread  horrors  of  a  ruined  and  distracted  nation  will 
fall  alike  on  all,  whether  patriots  or  traitors.     These  are  substantially  my 
reasons  for  issuing  "  General  Order  So.  38,"  my  reasons  for  the  determina- 
tion to  enforce  it,  and  also  my  reasons  for  the  arrest  of  Hon.  C.  L.  Yallan- 
dir'ham,  for  a  supposed  violation  of  that  Order,  for  which  he  has  been  tried. 
The-  result  of  that  trial  is  now  in  my  hands.     In  enforcing  this  Order,  I  can 
be  unanimously  sustained  by  the  people,  or  I  can  be  opposed  by  factious,  bad 
men.     In  the  former  event,  quietness  will  prevail ;  in  the  latter  event,  the 
responsibility  and  retribution  will  attach  to  the  men  who  resist  the  authority, 
and  the  neighborhoods  that  allow  it. 
All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

A.  E.  BUKKSIDE, 
Major  General  Commanding  Department  of  the  Ohio. 


ROSTER  OF  THE  NINTH  CORPS. 


CORPS  COMMANDERS. 

Ambrose  E.  Burnside  :  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  2d  Artillery,  U.  S. 
A.,  July  1,  1847  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  3d  Artillery,  Sept.  8, 1847';  First  Lieu- 
tenant, Nov.,  1851  ;  resigned  Nov.  1,  1853  ;  Colonel  1st  Rhode  Island  infan- 
try (mustered  into  service)  May  2,  1861  ;  Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers 
Aug.  6,  1861  :  Major  General  of  Volunteers,  Mar.  18,  1862  ;  resigned  April 
15,  1865  ;  Governor  of  Rhode  Island  May  29,  1866. 

Jesse  L.  Reno  :'  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  ordnance  department,  U.  S. 
A.,  July  1,  1846  ;  Second  Lieutenant  Mar.  3,  1847  ;  brevet  First  Lieutenant, 
Apr.  18,  1847;  brevet  Captain,  Sept.  13,  1847;  First  Lieutenant,  Mar.  3, 
1853;  Captain,  July  1,  1860;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Nov.  12,  1861; 
Major  General  Vols.,  Apr.  26,  1862 ;  killed  at  South  Mountain,  Sept.  14, 
1862. 

Jacob  D.  Cox  ;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  May  7,  1861 ;  Major  General 
Vols.,  Dec.  7,  1864;  resigned  Jan.  1,  1866  ;  Governor  of  Ohio,  Jan.,  1866. 

Orlando  B.  Willcox  :  Second  Lieutenant  4th  Artillery,  U.  S.  A.,  July 
1,  1847  ;  First  Lieutenant  Apr.  30,  1850  ;  resigned  Sept.  10,  1857  ;  Colonel 
1st  Michigan  infantry,  ('mustered  into  service)  May  1,  1861  ;  wounded  and 
taken  prisoner  at  Bull  Run,  July  21,  1861  ;  released  Aug.,  1862  ;  Brigadier 
General  Vols.,  July  21,  1861  ;  brevet  Major  General  Vols.,  Aug.  1,  1864  ; 
mustered  out,  Jan.  15,  1866. 

John  Sedgwick  :  Second  Lieutenant  2d  Artillery,  U.  S.  A.  July  1, 
1837  ;  First  Lieutenant  Apr.  J9,  1839  ;  brevet.  Captain,  Aug.  20,  1847  ;  bre- 
vet Major,  Sept.  13,  1847  ;  Captain,  Jan.  29,  1849  ;  Major  1st  Cavalry,  Mar. 
8,  1855  ;  Lieutenant  Colonel  2d  Cavalry,  Mar.  16,  1861  ;  Colonel  4th  Cav- 
alry, Apr.  25,  1861 ;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Aug.  13,  1861 ;  brevet  Briga- 
dier General,  U.  S.  A.,  May  31,  1862;  Major  General  Vols.  July  4,  1862; 
killed  at  Spottsylvania  May  9,  1864. 

William  F.  Smith  :  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  topographical  Engineers, 
U.  S.  A.,  July  1,  1845  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  July  14,  1849  ;  Captain,  July  1, 
1859  ;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Aug.  13,  1861  ;  Major,  Mar.  3,  1863  ;  Major 
General  Vols.,  Mar-.  9,1864;  Mustered  out  Jan.  15,  1866  ;  brevet  Lieut. 
Colonel,  brevet  Colonel,  brevet  Brigadier  General,  U.  S.  A.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 
65 


514"  ROSTER  OF  THE  NINTH  CORPS. 

John  G.  Parke  :  Second  Lieutenant,  topographical  Engineers,  U.  S.  A., 
July  1,  1849  ;  First  Lieutenant,  July  1,  1856  ;  Captain,  Sept.  9,  1861  ;  Brig- 
adier General  Vols.,  Nov.  23,  1861  ;  Major  General  Vols.,  July  18,  1862; 
Major  of  Enginfeers,  June  17,  1864  ;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  April  26, 
1862;  brevet  Colonel,  July  12,  1863  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General,  Mar.  13, 
1865 ;  brevet  Major  General,  U.  S.  A.,  Mar.  13,  1865  ;  mustered  out  Major 
General  Vols.,  Jan'y  15,  1866. 

Robert  B.  Potter  :  Major  51st  New  York  infantry  Oct.  14, 1861  ;  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Oct.  29,  1861  ;  Colonel,  Sept.  10,  1862;  Brigadier  General 
Vols.  Mar.  13,  1863  ;  brevet  Major  General  Vols.  Aug.  1, 1864 ;  Major  Gen- 
eral Vols.  Sept.  29,  1865.    Mustered  out  Jan.  15,  1866. 

ASSISTANT  ADJUTANTS  GENERAL. 

Lewis  Richmond:  Captain,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Vols.,  Sept.  13, 
1861;  Major,  Apr.  28,  1862  ;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  July  22,  1862;  breve.t 
Colonel,  Aug.  1,  1864 ;  brevet  Brigadier  General,  Mar.  13  1865. 

William  P.  Anderson  :  Second  Lieutenant  5th  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  Aug. 
5,  1861 ;  First  Lieutenant,  Sept.  25, 1861 ;  Captain  Assistant  Adjutant  Gen- 
eral, Sept.  15,  1862  ;  resigned  Mar.  18,  1864  ;    brevet  Major,  Mar.  15,  1865. 

Edward  M.  Neill  :  Major,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Vols.,  Mar.  11, 
1863;  resigned,  Oct.  22,  1864:  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Aug.  1,  1864  ; 
brevet  Colonel,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Gustavus  M.  Bascom  :  Captain,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Vols.  Aug. 
20, 1861  ;  Major,  Oct.  7,  1862;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel ;  brevet  Colonel, 
Nov.  4,  1865.     With  Gen.  Cox. 

Robert  A.  Hutchins  :  Captain,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Vols.  Sept. 
7,  1862  ;  wounded  in  the  Wilderness  May  6,  1864  ;  brevet  Major,  Aug.  1, 
1864.    With  Gen.  Willcox. 

Daniel  R.  Larned  :  Private  Secretary  to  Gen.  Burnside,  Dec.  1,  1861 ; 
Captain,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1863.  brevet  Major, 
Aug.  1,  1864  ;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Philip  M.  Lydig  :  Captain,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Vols.,  Jan.  9, 
1862;  Major,  Mar.  18,  1864;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Dec.  2,  1864; 
brevet  Colonel. 

John  C.  Youngman:  Captain,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Vols.,  July 
25,  1864  ;  brevet  Major. 

Charles  E.  Mallam  :  Captain,  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Vols.,  Nov. 
25,  1864  ;  brevet  Major. 

Nicolas  Bowen  :  Second  Lieutenant,  topographical  Engineers,  U.  S. 
A,,  July  1,  1860  ;  First  Lieutenant,  Aug.  6,  1861  ;  Captain,  Mar.  3,  1863  ; 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Vols.,  Jan.  23,  1863  ;  brevet  Major,  brevet  Colonel. 
With  Gen.  Potter. 


EOSTEE   OF   THE   NINTH    COEPS.  515 

Samuel  Weight  :  Captain,  June  4,  1863  ;  brevet  Major,  Dec.  2,  1864. 
With  Gen.  Potter. 

ASSISTANT  INSPECTORS  GENERAL. 

Chares  G.  Loring,  Jr.:  Captain,  Assistant  Quartermaster,  Feb.  3, 
1862;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Assistant  Inspector  General,  July  22,  1862; 
brevet  Colonel,  Aug.  1,  1864;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Aug.  1, 
1864;  brevet  Major  General  Vols.,  July  17,  1865.  With  the  Ninth  Corps 
through  its  entire  term  of  service. 

Jacob  P.  Kent:  Second  Lieutenant,  3d  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  May  6, 
1861 ;  First  Lieutenant,  July  31,  1861  ,  Captain,  January  8, 1864;  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Vols.,  Assistant  Inspector  General,  Jan.  1,  1863  ;  brevet  Colonel 
Vols.,  Oct.  19,  1864;  brevet  Major,  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  U.  S.  A., 
Mar.  13,  1865.     With  Gen.  Willcox. 

Orville  E.  Babcock  :  Second  Lieutenant,  Engineers,  U.  S.  A.,  May 
6,  1861 ;  First  Lieutenant,  Nov.  17,  1861  ;  Captain,  June  1, 1863  :  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Vols.,  Assistant  Inspector  General,  Jan.  23,  1863  ;  brevet  Colonel 
Vols.,  Feb.  24,  1865  ;  brevet  Major,  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  U.  S.  A., 
Mar.  13,  1865.     Detailed  as  Engineer  with  Gen.  Potter. 

Robert  H.  I.  Goddakd  :  Lieutenant  Volunteer  Aide  de  Camp,  Sept. 
20,  1862;  Captain,  Mar.  11,  1863;  brevet  Major,  Aug.  4,  1864;  brevet 
Lieutenant  Colonel.  April  2,  1865.  Assistant  Inspector  General  in  last 
campaign. 

MEDICAL  DIRECTORS. 

William  H.  Church:  Surgeon  Vols.,  Aug.  3,  1861  ;  Medical  Director, 
Department  of  North  Carolina,  Feb.,  1862;  Medical  Director  of  Ninth 
Corps,  July  22,  1862  ;  resigned  Oct.  26,  1863  ;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel, 
Aug.  1,  1864;  died  Sept.  26,  1866. 

John  E.  McDonald  :  Surgeon  7Pth  New  York,  Jan.  22, 1862  ;  Surgeon 
Vols.,  Apr.  13,  1863  ;  Medical  Director  of  Ninth  Corps,  Oct.  26,  1863  ;  bre- 
vet Lieutenant  Colonel,  Aug.  1,  1864  :  resigned  and  appointed  Surgeon  in 
the  regular  army  ;  died,  1866. 

Edward  B.  Dalton:  Surgeon  36th  New  York  Infantry,  Oct.  31, 1861  ; 
Surgeon  Vols.,  Mar.  26,  1863;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Mar.  13,  1865; 
brevet  Colonel,  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Henry  W  Rivers:  Surgeon  1st  Rhode  Island,  May  2,  1861  ;  Surgeon 
4th  Rhode  Island,  Oct.  30,  1861  ;  Brigade  Surgeon,  Mar.  8,  1862  ;  Division 
Surgeon,  July  25,  1862  ;  Acting  Medical  Director  Ninth  Corps,  Oct.  8, 
1862  ;  Medical  Director  Army  of  the  Defences  of  Harper's  Ferry,  Oct.  17, 
1862;  Surgeon  to  Headquarters,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  Nov.  22,  1862; 
Headquarters  Department  of  the  Ohio,  Mar.  25,  1863  ;  Division  Medical 
Inspector,  Ninth  Corps,  July  1,  1863  ;  Surgeon  in  Chief  to  Kautz's  Cavalry 
Division,  May  2,  1864  ;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Mar.  13, 1865. 


516  ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS. 

James  Harris  :  Assistant  Surgeon  1st  Rhode  Island  infantry,  May  2, 
1861  ;  taken  prisoner  at  Bull  Run,  July  21,  1861  ;  Surgeon  7th  Rhode 
Island  Infantry,  Sept.  6,  1862  ;  brigade  surgeon,  division  surgeon,  medical 
inspector,  medical  director ;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel ;  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice June  9,  1865. 

Patrick  A.  O'Connell:  Surgeon  28th  Massachusetts  infantry,  Oct. 
25,  1861 ;  Surgeon  of  Vols.,  June  13.  1863  ;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel ;  med- 
ical director.     With  Gen.  Willcox. 

W.  W.  Holmes:  Surgeon  of  Volunteers,  Apr.  4,  1862;  discharged  Oct. 
22,  1863.     Medical  director  with  Gen.  Cox. 

ENGINEERS. 

Robert  S.  Williamson  :  Second  Lieutenant  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A., 
July  1,  1848  ;  First  Lieutenant,  Apr.  30,  1856  ;  Captain,  August  6,  1861  ; 
brevet  Major ;  Major,  May  7,  1863. 

Orlando  M.  Poe  :  brevet  Second  Lieutenant  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A., 
July  1,  1856;  Second  Lieutenant,  Oct.  7,1856;  First  Lieutenant,  July  1, 
1861  ;  Colonel  2d  Michigan,  Sept.  16,  1861 ;  resigned  Feb.  16,  1863;  Cap- 
tain, Mar.  3,  1863  ;  brevet  Colonel,  Dec.  21,  1864  ;  brevet  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral, Mar.  13,  1865. 

James  St.  Clair  Morton:  Second  Lieutenant  Corps  of  Engineers,  U. 
S.  A.,  July  1,  1851  ;  First  Lieutenant;  Captain,  Aug.  6,  1861  ;  Major,  July 
3,  1863  ;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Nov.  29,  1862  ;  discharged  B.  G,  Nov.  7, 
1863  ;  killed  in  front  of  Petersburg,  June  17, 1864.  Engineer  in  chief  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  Ma^  1862  ;  Engineer  in  chief  of  Ninth  Corps,  May  18, 
1864. 

ORDNANCE  OFFICERS. 

Daniel  W  Flagler  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Ordnance,  U.  S.  A.,  June  24, 
1861;  First  Lieutenant  Aug.  3,  1861;  Captain,  Mar.  3,  1863;  brevet 
Major  ;   brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel. 

William  H.  Harris  :  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  Ordnance,  U.  S.  A., 
June  24,  1861  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Aug.  3,  1861  ;  First  Lieutenant,  Sept. 
14,  1862  ;  Captain,  June  1, 1863;  brevet  Major,  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel, 
U.  S.  A.;  brevet  Colonel  ,  Aug.  1,  1364. 

Orrin  M.  Dearborn  :  Second  Lieutenant,  3d  New  Hampshire,  Aug.  22, 
1861  ;  First  Lieutenant,  June  27,  1862;  Captain,  Dec.  15,  1863. 

CHIEF  OF  CAVALRY. 

William  P.  Sanders  :  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  1st  Dragoons,  U.  S.  A., 
July  1,  1856  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  May  27,  1857  ;  First  Lieutenant,  May  10, 
1861 ;  Captain,  May  14,  1861 ;  Colonel  5th  Kentucky  Cavalry,  1863  ;  Brig- 
adier General  Vols. ;  mortally  wounded  in  front  of  Knoxville,  Nov.  18,  1863. 


ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH   CORPS.  517 


CHIEFS  OF  ARTILLERY. 

John  Edwards,  Jr.:  Second  Lieutenant  3d  artillery  U.  S.  A.,  July  1, 
1851  ;  First  Lieutenant ;  Captain  July  23, 1861 ;  brevet  Major,  brevet  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel,  brevet  Colonel,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Samuel  N.  Benjamin  :  Second  Lieutenant,  2d  artillery  U.  S.  A.,  May 
6, 1861  ;  First  Lieutenant,  May  15,  1861  ;  Captain,  June  13,  1864  ;  brevet 
Major,  Aug.  1,  1864;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  brevet  Colonel,  Mar.  13, 
1865. 

John  C.  Tide  all;  Second  Lieutenant,  2d  artillery,  U.  S.  A.,  July  1, 
1848;   First  Lieutenant;   Captain  May   14,  1861;  Colonel  4th  New  York 
heavy   artillery;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,   Aug.    1,  1864;   brevet 
Major,  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  U.   S.  A.,  Mar.  13,  1865;  brevet  Major  „ 
General  Vols.,  Apr.  2,  1865. 

AIDES  DE  CAMP. 

James  Lyman  Van  Buren  :  Second  Lieutenant  53d  New  York,  Oct. 
26,1861;  Signal  Corps,  Jan,  1,  1862;  Judge  Advocate,  Mar.  23,1862; 
Major,  Aide  de  Camp,  July  7,  1862;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel;  brevet 
Colonel,  Aug.  1,  1864;  Brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Apr.  2,  1865;  died 
April  18,  1866.     With  the  Corps  throughout. 

William  Cutting  :  Captain,  Assistant  Quartermaster,  Nov.  16,  1861  ; 
Major,  Aide  de  Camp,  July  22,  1862  ;  Brevet  Colonel,  Aug.  1,  1864 ;  brevet 
Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  18G5.     With  the  Corps  throughout. 

George  R.  Fearing:  Lieutenant  Volunteer  Aide  de  Camp,  Dec.  1, 
1861 ;  Captain,  Apr.  4,  1862  ;  resigned  Feb.  1,  1864  ;  brevet  Major,  Aug.  1, 
1864. 

Duncan  A.  Pell;  Lieutenant  Volunteer  Aide  de  Camp,  Dec.  1,  1861 ; 
Captain  Apr.  4,  1862;  brevet  Major,  Dec.  2,  1864;  brevet  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  Mar.  13,  1865  ;  brevet  Colonel,  Apr.  2,  1865.  With  the  Corps 
throughout. 

John  B.Parke:  First  Lieutenant  17th  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  May  14, 
1861 ;  Captain,  July  14,  1864;  brevet  Major,  Aug.  1,  1864. 

George  W.  Gowen  :  First  Lieutenant  48th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  Aug. 
20,  1861 ;  Captain,  Sept.  20,  1862  ;  brevet  Major,  Dec.  2, 1864  ;  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  Oct.  6,  1864  ;  Colonel,  Jan.  2,  1865  ;  killed  in  assault  on  Peters- 
burg, Apr,  2,  1865. 

Samuel  S.  Sumner  :  Second  Lieutenant  of  5th  Cavalry,  U.  S.  A.,  June 
11, 1861 ;  First  Lieutenant,  July  17, 1862  ;  Captain,  Aide  de  Camp,  Aug.  20, 
1862  ;  discharged  A.  D.  C,  Aug.  15,  1863  ;  Captain  5th  Cavalry,  Mar.  30, 
1864  ;  brevet  Major  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Frederic  Van  Vliet  :  Second  Lieutenant  3d  Cavalry,  U.  S.  A.,  Aug.  5, 


51S  K05TEE   OF   THE   XIXTH    COEPS. 

1S61;  Adjutant  July  12.  IS? 2  :  First  Lieutenant  July  17.  1562  :  Brevet 
Captain  Aug.  1,  1564;  brevet  Major  Mar.  1?.  1565. 

Giles  W  Shurtllff  :  Captain  fth  Ohio  infantry,  June  17.  1561. 
With  Gen.  Willeox. 

Charles  A.  McKstght  :  Second  Lieutenant  7th  Michigan  infantrv, 
July  1,  1561  :  First  Lieutenant  May  10. 1562  ;  Captain  May  26.  1563.  With 
Gen.  Willeox. 

Hexry  H.  Holbrook  :  Captain  53  st  New  York  infantry.  Mar.  19, 1S62 ; 
brevet  Major.     With  Gen.  Potter. 

Clifford  Coddkgios  :  Second  Lieutenant  51st  New  York  infantry. 
Dee.  21,  1S61;  First  Lieutenant  July  21.  1562:  Captain  July  26.  1>62. 
With  Gen.  Potter. 

Samuel  L.  Christie  :  First  Lieutenant  1st  Kentucky  infantry,  Jan.  22, 
1562  :  Captain  Oct.  19.  1S62.     With  Gen.  Cox. 

James  W  Coxixe  :  First  Lieutenant  1st  Kentucky  infantry.  With  Gen. 
Cos. 

Chales  G.  Huttox:  Captain  Aide  de.  Camp.  Mar.  11.  1563;  brevet 
Major  Aug.  1.  1564. 

William  Y  Eichards:  First  Lieutenant  17th  Mehigan  infantry,  JnW 
2.  1562;  Captain,  July  19,  1864  :  brevet  Major  Dee.  2.  156-1.  With  Gen. 
Willeox. 

Levi  Curtis  Brackett:  Second  Lieutenant  25th  Massachusetts.  Apr. 
4.  1532:  First  Lieutenant.  Sept.  24.  1562;  brevet  Captain  Aug.  1.  1564: 
Captain  57th,  Nov.  5. 1564  :  brevet  Major  July  6. 1565.  With  Gen.  Willeox 

James  Romey>~  :  Lieutenaut  7th  Michigan.     With  Gen.  Willeox. 

Robert  S.  Shilllnglaw  :  Captain  7Pth  New  York  infantry  May  27, 
1561. 

Charles  A.  Whittier  :  Major  Aidede  Camp  Apr.  25.  1563  :  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel;    brevet  Colonel,  brevet  Brigadier  General  Yols..  April  9,  1565. 

Charles  Howe  :  Second  Lieutenant  33d  New  York  infantry  Dec.  2  7, 
1561;  Captain  Aide  de  Camp. 

S.  Caret:  First  Lieutenant  33d  New  York  infantry. 

J.  A.  Scrtmer:  Second  Lieutenant,  43d  New  York  infantry,  Nov.  25. 
1S61. 

Matthew  Berrt  :  Second  Lieutenant  5th  Pennsylvania  cavalry.  Dec. 
12,  1S61  :  First  Lieutenant  Dec.  11,  1563. 

Campbell  Tucker  :  Second  Lieutenant  49th  Pennsylvania  infantry 
Nov.  IP.  1S62. 

George  S.  Williams:  Second  Lieutenant  2d  Michigan  infantry,  Aug. 
17,  1562  :  First  Lieutenant  Dec.  1,  1S62  ;  mortally  wounded  at  Cold  Har- 
bor June  3,  1S64. 


ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  519 


QUARTER  MASTERS. 

Herman  Biggs:  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant  10th  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  July 
1,  1856  ;  First  Lieutenant  1st  infantry,  May  10, 1861  ;  Captain,  Quartermas- 
ter's Department,  Aug.  3,  1861;  Lieutenant  Colonel  Vols.,  July  22,  1862. 
Detached  from  Ninth  Corps  Aug.,  1862  ;  brevet  Major,  brevet  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  brevet  Colonel,  brevet  Brigadier  General  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Richard  N.  B.  Batchelder  :  Captain,  Assistant  Quartermaster,  Aug. 
3,  1861  ;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Jan.  1,  1863  ;  brevet  Colonel,  brevet  Briga- 
dier General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Luther  H.  Pierce  ;  Captain,  Assistant  Quartermaster,  Nov.  16,  1861  ; 
Lieutenant  Colonel,  June  15,  1864  ;  brevet  Colonel;  Captain,  Quartermas- 
ter's Department,  U.  S.  A.,  May  18,  1864. 

Theron  E.  Hall  ;  First  Lieutenant  21st  Massachusetts,  Sept.  18,  1861  ; 
Captain  Assistant  Quartermaster,  July  22,  1862;  resigned  Dec.  5,1864; 
brevet  Major,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

John  A.  Morris  :  Captain  Assistant  Quartermaster,  Mar.  16,  1863  ;  bre- 
vet Major,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Enoch  P.  Fitch:  Captain  Assistant  Quartermaster,  Aug.  3, 1861.  With 
Gen.  Cox. 

H.  S.  Chamblos  :  Captain,  Assistant  Quartermaster. 

Thomas  B.  Marsh:  Second  Lieutenant,  51st  New  York,  Oct.  18, 1861  ; 
First  Lieutenant,  Mar.  14,1862;  Captain,  Sept.  30,  1862;  Major,  Dee.  31, 
1864  ;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Apr.  29,  1865.     Chief  Ambulance  Corps 

William  W.  Van  Ness:  Lieutenant,  Quartermaster  67th  New  York 
infantry,  June  24,  1861 ;  Captain   Assistant  Quartermaster,  Feb.  19,  1862. 

Samuel  B.  Tobey,  Jr.  :  Second  Lieutenant  3d  New  York  artillery,  Mar. 
5,  1862  ;  First  Lieutenant,  Apr.  10, 1863  ;  Captain  Assistant  Quartermaster, 
May  24,  1864  ;  resigned  September,  1864. 

Jacob  Wagner  :  Lieutenant  Quartermaster  48th  Pennsylvania  infantry, 
Dec.  21,  1862;  Assistant  Quartermaster. 

Daniel  S.  Remington  :  First  Lieutenant  7th  Rhode  Island  infantry  ; 
Captain  June  8,  1865. 

COMMISSARIES  OF  SUBSISTENCE. 

Edwin  R.  Goodrich  ;  First  Lieutenant  and  Quartermaster,  2d  New 
Hampshire  infantry,  June  20,  1861  ;  Captain,  Commissary  of  Subsistence, 
Oct.  31,  1861 ;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  July  22,  1862:  brevet  Colonel,  Mar.  13, 
1865. 

James  F.  DeWolf  ;  Captain  Commissary  of  Subsistence,  Nov.  16, 1861 ; 
resigned  Dec.  3,  1864;  brevet  Major  Aug.  I,  1864. 

Richard  B.  Treat  ;  Captain,  Commissary  of  Subsistence,  Aug.  26, 1862. 


520  ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS. 

John  II.  Coale  ;  Captain,  Commissary  of  Subsistence,  Aug.  30,  18G2; 
Lieutenant  Colonel,  Jan.  1,  1863  ;  brevet  Colonel. 

William  H.  French;  Secretary,  Dec.  1,  1861  ;  Captain  Commissary  of 
Subsistence,  Feb.  19,  1863  :  resigned,  Sept.  28,  1864  ;  brevet  Major,  Mar. 
13,  1865. 

M.  A.  Park  :  Captain,  Commissary  of  Subsistence. 

JUDGES  ADVOCATE. 

James  M.  Cutts;  Captain  11th  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  May  14,  1861  ;  de- 
tatched  from  Staff,  Sept.  28,  18P3;  brevet  Major;  brevet  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  Aug.  1,  1864. 

Henry  L.  Burnett  ;  Major  Judge  Advocate,  Aug.  10,  1863;  brevet 
Lieutenant  Colonel,  Aug.  1,  1864;  brevet  Colonel,  Mar.  8,  1865;  brevet 
Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

COMMISSARIES  OF  MUSTERS. 

Henry  R.  Rathbone  ;  Captain  12th  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  May  14,  1861  ; 
brevet  Major,  Aug.  1,  1864. 

Morgan  L.  Ogden  ;  First  Lieutenant  18th  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  May  14, 
1861  ;  Captain  Aug.  12,  1863. 

James  S.  Casey  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  5th  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  Aug.  5, 
1861;  First  Lieutenant,  Sept.  25,  1861:  Captain,  Dec.  1,  1863  ;  brevet 
Major,  Apr.  2,  1865. 

DIVISION  COMMANDERS. 

Jesse  L.  Reno  ;  See  above.     In  command  of  Corps,  Aug.  1;  1862. 

Jacob  D.  Cox:  See  above.     In  command  of  Corps,  Sept.  14,  1862. 

Eliakim  P.  Scammon  :  Colonel  23d  Ohio  infantry,  June  14, 1861  ;  Brig- 
adier General  Vols.,  Oct.  15,  1862. 

George  Crook  :  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  4th  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  July 
1,  1852  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  July  1,  1852  ;  First  Lieutenant,  Mar.  11, 1856  ; 
Captain,  May  14,  1861;  Colonel  36th  Ohio  infantry,  Sept.  12,  1861;  Briga- 
dier General  Vols.,  Sept.  7,  1.862  j  brevet  Major  General  Vols.,  July  18, 
1862;  Major  General  Vols.,  Oct.  21,  1864;  brevet  Major,  brevet  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel,  brevet  Colonel,  brevet  Brigadier  General,  U.  S.  A.,  Mar.  13, 
1865. 

Orlando  B.  Willcox:  See  above.  In  command  of  Corps,  Oct.  8,1862, 
to  Jan.  1863. 

John  G.  Parke  :  See  above.  In  command  of  Corps,  Mar.  1, 1863 ;  Aug. 
13,  1864,  to  July,  1865. 

Isaac  I.  Stevens  :  Second  Lieutenant,  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A.  July 
1, 1839  ;  First  Lieutenant  July  1, 1840 ;  brevet  Captain  Aug.  20, 1847;  brevet 


ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  521 

■  Major  Sept.  13,  1S47  ;  resigned  1853  ;  Governor  of  Washington  Territory  ; 
Colonel  79th  New  York  infantry;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Sept.  23,  1861  ; 
Major  General  Vols.;  killed  at  Chantilly,  Sept.  1,  1862. 

Isaac  P.  Rodman  :  Captain  2d  Rhode  Island  infantry,  June  1,  1861  ; 
Lieutenant  Colonel  4th  Rhode  Island  infantry  Oct.  19,  1861  ;  Colonel,  Oct. 
30,1861;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Apr.  28,  1862;  mortally  wounded  at 
Antietam,  Sept.  17,  1862. 

Samuel  D.  Sturgis  :  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant  2d  Dragoons,  U.  S.  A., 
July  1,  1846  ;  Second  Lieutenant  1st  Dragoons,  Feb.  16,  1847  ;  First  Lieu- 
tenant July,  1853  ;  Captain,  March  3, 1855  ;  Major  4th  Cavalry  May  3, 1861 ; 
Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Aug.  10,  1861 ;  Lieutenant  Colonel  6th  Cavalry, 
U.  S.  A.,  Oct.  27,  1863. 

George  W.  Getty:  Second  Lieutenant  4th  artillery,  TJ.  S.  A.,  July  1, 
1840;  First  Lieutenant,  Oct.  31,1845;  brevet  Captain,  Aug.  20,1847; 
Captain  5th  artillery,  Nov.  4,  1853  ;  Lieutenant  Colonel  Vols.,  A.  D.  C, 
Sept.  28, 1861  ;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Sept.  25,  1862  ;  Major  5th  artillery, 
Aug.  1,  1863  ;  brevet  Major  General  Vols.,  Aug.  1,  1864  ;  brevet  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  U.  S.  A.,  March  13,  1865. 

William  W  Burns:  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant  3d  infantry,  U.  S.  A., 
July  1,  1847 ;  Second  Lieutenant  5th  infantry,  Sept.  8,  1847 ;  First  Lieuten- 
ant, Aug.  12,  1850;  Captain  Commissary  of  Subsistence,  Nov.  3,  1858  ;  Ma- 
jor Commissary  of  Subsistence,  Aug.  3,  1861  :  Brigadier  General  Vols. ;  bre- 
vet Lieutenant  Colonel,  U.  S.  A. 

Rush  C.  Hawkins  :  Colonel'9th  New  York  infantry,  May  13,  1861. 

Edward  Harland:  Colonel  8th  Connecticut  infantry,  Sept.  4,  1861  ; 
Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Nov.  29,  1862. 

Robert  B.  Potter:  See  above.  In  command  of  Corps,  Sept.  1,  1863, 
to  Jan.  1,  1864. 

Thomas  Welsh:  Colonel  45th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  July  22,1861; 
Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1863  ;  died  Aug.  14,  1863. 

Edward  Ferrero :  Colonel  Slst  New  York  infantry,  Oct.  14,1861; 
Brigadier  General  Vols.,  May  6, 1863  ;  brevet  Major  General,  Dec.  2, 1864. 

Thomas  G.  Stevenson  :  Major  4th  Battalion  Massachusetts  infantry, 
May  4,  1861  ;  Colonel  24th  Massachusetts  infantry,  Aug.  31,  1861 ;  Briga- 
dier General  Vols.,  Mar.  14,  1863  ;  killed  near  Spottsylvania,  May  10, 
1864. 

Thomas  L.  Crittenden:  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Sept.  27",  1861 ; 
Major  General  Vols.,  July  17,  1862';  resigned  Dec.  13,1864. 

James  H.  Ledlie  :  Colonel  3d  New  York  artillery,  Nov.  18, 1861  ;  Brig- 
adier General  Vols.,  Oct.  27,  1863  ;  resigned  Jan.  16,  1865. 

Julius  White:  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Jupe  9,  1862  ;  resigned  Nov. 

19,  1864. 

66 


522  BOSTER    OF   THE   NINTH   COEPS. 

John  F.  Hartranft:  Colonel  51st  Pennsylvania,  July  2  7,  1861  ;  Brig- 
adier General  Vols.,  May   12,  1864;  brevet  Major  General,  Mar.  25,  1865. 

Simon  G.  Griffin:  Captain  2d  New  Hampshire  infantry,  June  4,  1861; 
Lieutenant  Colonel  6th  New  Hampshire  infantry,  Oct.  26,  1861;  Colonel 
Apr.  22.  1862  ;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  May  12,  1864  ;  brevet  Major  Gen- 
eral, Apr.  2,  1865, 

John  I.  Curtin;  Major  45th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  July  30,  1862; 
Lieutenant  Colonel,  Sept.  4,  1862  ;  Colonel,  Mar.  1,  1863  ;  brevet  Brigadier 
General  Vols.,  Oct.  12,  1864;  brevet  Major  General  Vols.,  Apr.  2,  1865. 

BRIGADE  COMMANDERS. 

Isaac  P.  Rodman  :  See  above. 

James  Nagle  :  Colonel  6th  Pennsylvania  infantry.  Apr.  15,  1861 ;  Colo- 
nel 48th  Pennsylvania,  Aug.  14,  1861  ;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13, 
1863  ;  resigned  May  9.  1863.     Colonel  194th  Pennsylvania,  July  21,  1864. 

Thomas  Welsh  :  See  above. 

Edward  Ferrero  :  See  above. 

Eliakim  P.  Scammon  :  See  above. 

George  Crook:  See  above. 

Rush  C.  Hawkins  :  brevet  Brig.  Gen.  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865.    See  above. 

Harrison  S.  Fairchild  :  Colonel  89th  New  York  infantry,  Dec.  4, 
1861  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Edward  Harland  :    See  above. 

B.  C.  Christ:  Lieutenant  Colonel  5th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  Apr.  15, 
1861 ;  Colonel  50th  Pennsylvania,  July  27, 1S61 ;  brevet  Brigadier  General 
Vols.,  Aug.  1,  1864. 

Hugh  Ewing:  Colonel  30th  Ohio,  Aug.  15,  1861;  Brigadier  General 
Vols.,  Nov.  29,  1862. 

Augustus  Moor;  Colonel  28th  Ohio,  June  10,  1861. 

William  M.  Fenton  ;  Colonel  8th  Michigan  infantry,  Aug.  7,  1861; 
resigned  Mar.  15,  1863. 

Francis  Beach:  Colonel  16th  Connecticut  infantry,  Aug.  7,  1862. 

Robert  B.  Potter  :  See  above. 

John  F.  Hartranft:  Colonel  4th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  Apr.  15, 
1861.     See  above. 

Simon  G.  Griffin  :  See  above. 

William  Humphrey  :  Captain  2d  Michigan  infantry,  May  25,  1861 ; 
Colonel,  Feb.  16,  1863  ;  mustered  out  (term  expired)  Sept.  30,  1864  ;  brevet 
Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Henry  Bowman:  Captain  loth  Massachusetts  infantry,  Aug.  1,  1861 ; 
Major  34th  Massachusetts,  Aug.  6,  1862  ;  Colonel  36th  Massachusetts,  Aug. 
22,  1862. 


ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  523 

David  Morrison:  Lieutenant  Colonel  79th  New  York  infantry,  Dec.  3, 
1861 ;  Colonel,  Feb.  17,  1863  ;  brevet  Brig.  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Daniel  Leasuee  :  Adjutant  12th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  Apr.  15, 1861 ; 
Colonel  100th  Pennsylvania,  Aug.  28, 1861. 

Joshua  K.  Sigfreid  :  Major  48th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  Aug,  20, 1861 ; 
Lieutenant  Colonel,  Nov.  30,  1861  ;  Colonel,  Sept.  20,  1862 ;  brevet  Briga- 
dier General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Edwin  Schall  :  Major  4th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  Apr.  15, 1861;  Major 
51st  Pennsylvania,  July  27,  1861;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Sept.  17,  1862; 
Colonel,  May  13,  1864  ;  killed  in  battle. 

Wilson  C.  Lemert:  Major  86th  Ohio,  June  10,  1862  ;  Colonel,  July 
14,1863. 

Ebenezer  W-  Pierce  :  Brigadier  General  Massachusetts  detached 
militia,  Apr.  15,  1861 ;  Colonel  29th  Massachusetts,  Dec.  13,  1861 ;  dis- 
charged Nov.  8,  1864. 

James  H.  Ledlie  :  See  above. 

John  I.  Curtin  :  See  above. 

Henry  G.  Thomas:  Captain  11th  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  Aug.  5,  1861; 
Colonel  19th  United  States  Colored  Troops ;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Nov. 
30,  1864  ;  brevet  Major,  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Colonel,  U.  S.  A.,  Mar.  13, 
1865. 

Zen  as  R.  Bliss  :  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant  1st  infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  July 
1,  1854;  Second  Lieutenant,  8th  infantry,  Mar.  3,  1855  ;  First  Lieutenant, 
Oct.  17,  1860  ;  Captain,  May  14,  1861  ;  Colonel  9th  Rhode  Island  infantry, 
May  26,  1862  ;  Colonel  7th  Rhode  Island,  Sept.  6,  1862;  brevet  Major,  bre- 
vet Lieutenant  Colonel,  U.  S.  A,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Henry  Pleasants  :  Captain  48th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  Aug.  20, 
1861;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Sept.  20,  1862;  Colonel,  Oct.  6,  1864 ;  brevet 
Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Elisha  G.  Marshall  ;  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant  4th  infantry,  U.  S.  A., 
July  1,  1850;  Second  Lieutenant,  July  1,  1850;  .First  Lieutenant  6th 
infantry,  Mar.  26,  1855  ;  Captain,  May  14,  1861  ;  Colonel  13th  New  York 
infantry,  Apr.  6, 1862 ;  Colonel  14th  New  York  heavy  artillery,  May  23, 
1863  ;  brevet  Major,  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  U.  S.  A.,  brevet  Brigadier 
General  Vols.  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Charles  E.  Griswold;  Major  22d  Massachusetts  infantry,  Sept.  12, 
1861;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Oct.  4,  1861;  Colonel,  June  28,  1862';  Colonel 
56th  Massachusetts,  July  14,  1863  ;  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness, 
May  6,  1864. 

Sumner  Carruth  :  Captain  1st  Massachusetts  infantry  May  22,  1861; 
Major  35th  Massachusetts,  Aug.  20,  1862;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Aug.  27, 
1862;  Colonel,  April  25,  1863;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13, 
1865. 


524  ROSTER    OB  THE   NINTH    CORPS. 

Stephen  M.  Weld,  Jr.  :  Second  Lieutenant  18th  Massachusetts  infan- 
try, Jan.  24, 1S62;  First  Lieutenant,  Oct.  24,  18G2;  Captain,  May  4,  18G3  ; 
Lieutenant  Colonel  56th  Massachusetts,  July  22,  1863;  Colonel,  May  6, 
1864  ;   Brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Jacob  Parker  Gould:  Major  13th  Massachusetts  infantry,  July  16, 
1861  ;  Colonel  59th  Massachusetts,  Apr.  25,  1864  ;  died  of  wounds,  Aug.  22, 
1864. 

Kalph  Ely;  Captain  8th  Michigan  infantry,  Aug.  12,  1861;  Major, 
Sept.  10, 1862;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Feb.  1,1863;  brevet  Colonel,  July  6, 
1864  ;  Colonel,  May  7, 1864;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Apr.  2,  1865. 

Samuel  Harriman  :  Captain  30th  Wisconsin  infantry,  Aug.  25,  1862; 
Colonel  37th,  Mar.  7,  1864;  brevet  Brigadier    General  Vols.,  Apr.  2,  1865. 

William  F.  Bartlett  :  Captain  20th  Massachusetts  infantry,  July  10, 
1861 ;  Colonel  49th  Massachusetts,  Nov.  12,  1862;  Colonel  57th  Massachu- 
setts, Aug.  17,  1863  ;  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  June  20,  1864  ;  brevet  Major 
General,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Napoleon  B.  McLaughlin  :  Second  Lieutenant  4th  cavalry,  U.  S.  A., 
Mar.  27,1861;  First  Lieutenant,  May  3,  1861  ;  Captain,  July  17,  1862; 
Colonel  1st  Massachusetts  infantry,  Oct.  1,1862;  Colonel  57th  Massachu- 
setts, July  21,  1864  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Sept.  30,  1864  ;  bre- 
vet Major,  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  U.  S.  A.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Byron  C.  Cutcheon:  Captain  20th  Michigan  infantry,  July  29,  1862; 
Major,  Oct.  14,  1862;  Colonel,  Nov.  21,1864;  brevet  Brigadier  General 
Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Herbert  B.  Titus  :  Major  9th  New  Hampshire,  June  14,  1862  ;  Colonel, 
Nov.  22,  1862  ;  discharged  Sept.  27,  1864;  reappointed,  Nov.  1,  1864. 

Joseph  II.  Barnes:     Captain   29th  Massachusetts   infantry,  Apr.    25, 

1861  ;  Lieutenant   Colonel,  Dec,  13,  1861. 

Walter  Harriman:  Colonel  11th  New  Hampshire  infantry,  Aug.  26, 

1862  ;  resigned  Aug.  15,  1863  ;  re-appointed  Jan.  26,  1864  ;  brevet  Brigadier 
General,  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Joseph  A.  Mathews  :  Colonel  205th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  Sept.  2, 
1864  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

Dela van  Bates:  Colonel  30th  United  States  colored  troops;  brevet 
Brigadier  General  Vols.,  July  30,  1864. 

Charles  S.  Kussell;  Captain  11th  infantry,  U.  S.  A. ;  Colonel  28th 
United  States  Colored  Troops ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  July  30, 
1864. 

Alfred  B.  McCalmont:  Colonel  208th  Pennsylvania  infantry,  Sept. 
12,  1864  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13, 1865. 


ROSTER   OF   TIIE   NINTH    CORPS.  525 


CHIEF  OF  ARTILLERY. 

John  A.  Monroe*:  First  Lieutenant  1st  Rhode  Island  light  artillery, 
June  6,  18G1  ;  Captain,  Sept.  7, 1861  ;  Lieutenant   Colonel,  Dec.  4,  1862. 

REGIMENTS  COMPOSING  THE  NINTH  CORPS. 

Maine.  31st  infantry :  Colonel  Thomas  Hight.  Apr.  29,  1864;  resigned 
July  2,  1864.  Colonel  Daniel  White,  July  8, 1864.  Joined  the  Corps  April, 
1864. 

32d  infantry :  Colonel  Mark  F.  Wentworth,  May  6,  1864  ;  resigned  Oct. 
18,1864.  Lieutenant  Colonel  James  L.  Hunt,  Oct.  18.  1864,  Consolidated 
with  31st,  Dec.  1,  1864.     Joined  the  Corps  April,  1864. 

2d  battery  of  light  artillery :  Captain  Albert  F.  Thomas,  Nov.  30,  1861. 
discharged  Jan.  22,  1865.  Captain  Charles  E.  Stubbs.  Joined  the  Corps 
April,  1864. 

7  th  battery  of  light  artillery:  Captain  Adelbert  B.  Twitckell,  Dec.  29, 1863  ; 
wounded  Jan.  2,  1865.  Captain  William  B.  Lapham,  Mar.  8, 1865.  Joined 
the  Corps  April,  1864. 

Vermont.  17th  infantry :  Colonel  Francis  V-  Randall,  Feb.  10,1864. 
Joined  the  Corps  April,  1S64. 

3d  battery  of  light  artillery:  Captain  Romeo  H.  Start,  Nov.  23,  1863.  In 
reserve  artillery. 

New  Hampshire.  6th  infantry :  Colonel  Simon  G.  Griffin.  See  above. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Henry  H.  Pearson,  Oct.  15,  1862  ;  killed  at  the  North 
Anna,  May  26,  1864.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Phineas  P.  Bixby,  July  28,  1864. 
In  North  Carolina.     With  the  Corps  throughout. 

9th  infantry:  Colonel  E.  Q.  Fellows,  June  14,  1S6 2;  Colonel  Henry  B. 
Titus.  See  above.  Major  George  H.  Chandler.  Joined  the  Corps,  Sep- 
tember, 1862. 

10$  infantry:  Colonel  Michael  T.  Donahoe,  Aug.  1862  ;  brevet  Brigadier 
General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865.  With  the  Corps  from  October,  1862,  to 
March,  1863. 

11th  infantry  ;  Colonel  Walter  Harriman  ;  taken  prisoner  in  the  Wilder- 
ness, May  6,  1864  ;  discharged  in  November,  1864.  See  above.  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Leander  W.  Cogswell,  Aug.  20,  1864.  Joined  the  Corps  October, 
1862. 

13th  infantry:  Colonel  Aaron  F.  Stevens,  Aug.  26,  1862  ;  brevet  Briga- 
dier General.     With  the  Corps  from  December,  1S62,  to  March,  1863. 

Massachusetts.  21st  infantry :  Colonel  William  S.  Clark,  May  16. 
1862  ;  resigned  Apr.  22,  1863.  Lieutenant  Colonel  George  P.  Hawkes,  Dec. 

*Omitted  above. 


526  ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH   CORPS. 

18,  1862.  Major  H.  H.  Richardson,  Dec.  18,  1862.  Veterans  re-enlisted 
January,  1864,  and  transferred  to  36th.  In  North  Carolina.  With  the 
Corps  throughout.  * 

28lh  infantry :  Colonel  William  Monteith,  Nov.  25, 1861  ;  Colonel  Richard 
Byrnes,  Sept.  29,  1862  ;  Colonel  George  W.  Cartwright,  July  21,  1864. 
Joined  the  Corps  Aug.,  1862  ;  transferred  to  Second  Corps,  November,  1862. 

29th  infantry :  Colonel  E.  W.  Pierce.  See  above.  Colonel  Thomas  W. 
Clarke,  Nov.  8,  1864.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Charles  D.  Browne,  from  June 
18,  1865,  to  Aug.  11,  1865. 

35th  infantry :  Colonel  Edward  A.  Wild,  Apr.  24,  1863.  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Vols.,  Apr.  24,  1863.  Colonel  Sumner  Carruth.  See  above.  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  William  S.  King,  Apr.  25,  1863.  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  W. 
Hudson,  Nov.  14,  1864.     Joined  the  Corps,  September,  1862. 

36th  infantry:  Colonel  Henry  Bowman.  See  above.  Lieutenant  Colonels 
Arthur  A.  Goodell,  William  F.  Draper.  Colonel  Thaddeus  L.  Barker,  Nov. 
13,  1864.     Joined  the  Corps  September,  1862. 

56th  infantry:  Colonels  Charles  E.  Griswold,  Stephen  M.  Weld,  Jr.  See 
above.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Horatio  D.  Jarvis,  May  7,  1864.  Joined  the 
Corps,  April,  1864. 

57th  infantry :  Colonels  William  F.  Bartlett,  Napoleon  B.  McLaughlin. 
See  above.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Charles  L.  Chandler,  Apr.  20,  1864  ;  killed 
May  24,  1864  ;  Lieutenant  Colonel  Julius  M.  Tucker.  Joined  the  Corps, 
April,  1864. 

58^  infantry:  Colonel  John  C.  Whiton,  Aug.  31,  1864.  Joined  the  Corps, 
April,  1864. 

59th  infantry:  Colonel  Jacob  P.  Gould.  See  above.  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Joseph  Colburn,  from  August,  1864.  Major  Ezra  P.  Gould,  from  February, 
1865.     Consolidated  with  57th,  July  1,  1865.    Joined  the  Corps,  Apr.,  1864. 

6th  light  battery  of  artillery:  Captain  Asa  M.  Cook,  July  1,  1862.  Joined 
the  Corps,  August,  1862.     A  six  months  battery. 

Wth  light  battery  of  artillery :  Captain  Edward  J.  Joues,  Aug.  25,  1862; 
brevet  Major.     Joined  the  Corps,  April,  1864. 

\Uh  light  battery  of  artillery**  Captain  Joseph  W-  B.Wright,  Feb...  ,3, 1864. 
Joined  the  Corps,  April,  1864. 

Rhode  Island.  4th  infantry:  Colonel  William  H.  P.  Steere,  June  12, 
1862  ;  wounded  Sept  17,  1862.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Joseph  B.  Curtis,  from 
Sept.  17  to  Dec.  13,  1862  .  killed  Dec.  13,  1862.  Lieutenant  Colonel  M.  P. 
Buffum,  from  Dec.  13,  1862,  to  June,  1864 ;  brevet  Colonel,  Mar.  13,  1865. 
Consolidated  with  7th,  Oct.  21,  1864.  In  North  Carolina.  With  the  Corps 
until  March,  1863.     Rejoined,  June,  1864. 

1th  infantry :    Colonel  Zenas  R.  Bliss.      See  aho«e.     Captain  Theodore 


ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  527 

Winn,  from  May  18  to  June  15, 1864.  Lieutenant  Colonel  and  brevet  Colo- 
nel Percy  Daniels,  from  June  29,  1864.    Joined  the  Corps,  October,  1862. 

12^  infantry:  Colonel  George  H.  Browne,  Oct.  13,  1862.  Nine  montbs. 
Joined  the  Corps,  December,  1862. 

1  th  battalion  of  infantry :  Captain  Caleb  T.  Bowen,  July  22,  1863;  from 
June  6,  1865,  to  July  13,  1865. 

Battery  D,  1st  light  artillery :  Captain  W.  W.  Buckley,  Oct.  30,  1862; 
resigned  Sept.  20,  1864.  Captain  Elmer  L.  Corthell,  Nov.  2,  1864.  Joined 
the  Corps,  December,  1862. 

Battery  H.,  1st  light  artillery  :  Captain  Crawford  Allen,  Jr.,  Oct.  1,  1863  ; 
brevet  Major,  Apr.  2, 1865  ;  brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel.  In  reserve  artillery. 

Connecticut.  8th  infantry:  Colonel  Edward  Harland.  See  above. 
Lieutenant  Colonels  Hiram  Appelman,  John  E.  Ward.  In  North  Carolina. 
With  the  Corps  till  March,  1863. 

11th  infantry:  Colonel  Henry  W  Kingsbury,  April  25,  1862;  killed  at 
Antietam,  Sept.  17,  1862.  Colonel  Griffin  A.  Stedman,  Jr.,  Sept.  17,  1862. 
In  North  Carolina.     With  the  Corps  till  March,  1863. 

15th  infantry:  Colonel  Dexter  R.  Wright,  July  22,  1862;  resigned  Feb. 
17,  1863.  Colonel  Charles  L.  Upham,  April  6,  1863.  With  the  Corps 
from  November,  1862,  till  March,  1863. 

16^  infantry:  Colonel  Francis  Beach.  See  above.  With  the  Corps  from 
September,  till  March,  1863. 

21st  infantry:  Colonel  Arthur  H.  Dutton,  Aug.  19, 1862.  With  the  Corps 
from  October,  1862,  till  March,  1863. 

New  York:  9th  infantry :  Colonel  Rush  C.  Hawkins.  See  above.  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Edgar  A.  Kimball,  Feb.  14,  1862.  In  North  Carolina.  With 
the  Corps  until  March,  1863. 

46^  infantry:  Colonel  Rudolph  Rosa,  September  16, 1861  ;  Colonel  Joseph 
Gerhardt,  Dec.  17,  1862;  Colonel  George  W  Travers,  Nov.  8, 1863.  Joined 
the  Corps  July,  1862. 

5 1  st  infantry :  Colonels  Edward  Ferrero,  Robert  B.  Potter.  See  above. 
Colonel  Charles  W.  Le  Gendre,  Mar.  14,  1863  ;  bvt.  Brig.  Gen.  Vols.  Colo- 
nel Gilbert  McKibben,  Dec.  9,  1864.  Colonel  John  G.  Wright,  Apr.  29, 
1865  ;  bvt.  Brig.  Gen.  Vols.    In  North  Carolina.  With  the  Corps  throughout. 

79th  infantry  :  Colonel  Addison  Farnsworth,  Dec.  17, 1861  ;  brevet  Brig- 
adier General  Vols.,  Sept.  17,  1865.  Colonel  David  Morrison.  See  above. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Henry  G.  Heffron,  Jan.  26,  1865.  Joined  the  Corps, 
July,  1862,  and  remained  throughout. 

89th  infantry :  Colonel  Harrison  S.  Fairchild.  See  above.  In  North  Car- 
olina.    With  the  Corps  from  July,  1862,  to  March,  1863. 

103d  infantry :  Colonel  F.  W  Von  Egloffstein,  Feb.  20,  1862.  Colonel 
Benjamin  Ringgold,  Sept.  15^1862.  Colonel  William  Heine,  May  15,  1863. 
In  North  Carolina.     With  the  Corps  throughout. 


528  ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS. 

109$  infantry:  Colonel  Benjamin  F.  Tracy,  Aug.  20,  1862  ;  Colonel  Isaac 
S.  Catlin,  May  17,  1864.     Joined  the  Corps,  April,  1864. 

179$  infantry :  Colonel  William  M.  Gregg,  Sept.  8,  1864;  brevet  Briga- 
dier General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865.     Joined  the  Corps,  September,  1864. 

186th  infantry :  Colonel  Bradley  Winslow,  Sept.  21,  1864 ;  brevet  Briga- 
dier General  Vols.,  Apr.  2,  1865.    Joined  the  Corps,  October,  1864. 

2d  Mounted  Rifles  (serving  on  foot)  :  Colonel  John  Fisk,  Feb.  3,  1864  ; 
Colonel  Louis  Siebert,  Dec.  31,  1864.     Joined  the  Corps,  April,  1864. 

5th  cavalry :  Colonel  Othneib  De  Forest,  Jan.  31,  1863;  Colonel  John 
Hammond,  Mar.  29,  1864;  Colonel  Amos  H.  White,  Nov.  14,  1864.  With 
the  Corps  from  April,  1864,  till  June,  1864. 

6th  cavalry :  Colonel  Thomas  C.  Devin,  Nov.  18,  1861 ;  brevet  Brigadier 
General  Vols.      With  the  Corps  from  September,  1862,  to  February,  1863. 

24$  cavalry,  dismounted :  Colonel  George  F.  Raulston,  Jan.  26,  1864. 
Killed  in  front  of  Petersburg,  June  18,  1864.  Colonel  Walter  C.  Newberry, 
Dec.  15,  1864  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865. 

1st  light  artillery,  Battery  D. :  Captain  Thomas  W.  Osborne,  Oct.  25, 
1861.     With  the  Corps  from  November,  1862,  to  February,  1863. 

2d  light  artillery,  Battery  L. :  Captain  Jacob  Roemer,  Mar.  4,  1862  ;  bre- 
vet Major,  Aug.  1,  1864;  transferred  to  command  of  34th  independent 
battery.     With  the  Corps  throughout. 

4$  light  artillery  battery  :  Captain  W-  B.  Barnes,  Jan.  2,  1862.  Joined 
the  Corps,  April,  1864. 

6th  independent  battery  of  light  artillery :  Captain  Walter  M.  Bramhall, 
Jan.  23,  1862.  Captain  Joseph  B.  Martin,  Feb.  16,  1863.  Captain  Moses 
P.  Clark,  February  18,  1865. 

9$  infantry's  battery  of  howitzers  :  Captain  James  R.  Whiting,  Aug.  18, 
1861.     In  North  Carolina.     With  the  Corps  until  March,  1863. 

1 9th  independent  battery  of  light  artillery :  Captain  Edward  W.  Rogers, 
Sept.  16,  1863.     Joined  the  Corps,  April,  1864. 

27th  independent  battery  of  light  artillery:  Captain  John  B.  Eaton,  Nov. 
29,  1862.     Joined  the  Corps,  April,  1864. 

34$  independent  battery  of  light  artillery :  Captain  Jacob  Roemer.  See 
above.     Joined  the  Corps,' April,  1864. 

14$  heavy  artillery:  Colonel  Elisha  G.  Marshall.  See  above.  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Clarence  H.  Corning,  Sept.  4, 1863.  Lieutenant  Colonel  William 
H.  Reynolds,  Mar.  8,  1865.    Joined  the  Corps,  May,  1864. 

New  Jersey.  25$  infantry :  Colonel  Andrew  J.  Morrison,  Sept.  6, 1862. 
With  the  Corps  from  December,  1862,  to  March,  1863. 

27$  infantry:  Colonel  George  W.  Mindil,  Oct.  3,  1863;  brevet  Brigadier 
General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865.  A  nine  months  regiment.  With  the  Corps 
from  December,  1862,  to  July,  1863. 


ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  529 

3d  cavalry:  Colonel  Andrew  J.  Morrison,  Nov.  4,  1863.  With  the  Corps 
from  April,  1864,  to  June,  1864. 

Pennsylvania.  45$  infantry  :  Colonels  Thomas  Welsh.  John  I.  Curtin. 
See  above.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Francis  M.Hill,  Mar.  1,1863;  resigned 
Sept.  16,  1864.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Theodore  Gregg,  Sept.  15,  1864:  bre- 
vet Colonel,  July  30,  1862.     Joined  the  Corps,  September,  1864. 

48$  infantry :  Colonels  James  Nagle,  Joshua  K.  Sigfried,  Henry  Pleas- 
ants, George  W.  Gowen.  See  above.  Brevet  Colonel  Isaac  F.  Brannon, 
Apr.  2,  1865;  Colonel,  Apr.  3,  1865.  In  North  Carolina.  With  the  Corps 
throughout. 

bOth  infantry :  Colonel  Benjamin  C.  Christ.  See  above.  Major  Edward 
Overton,  Jr.,  Sept.  30,  1861 ;  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Aug.  20,  1863.  With  the 
Corps  throughout. 

51  st  infantry :  Colonels  John  F  Hartranft,  Edwin  Schall.  See  above. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Thomas  S.Bell;  killed  at  Antietam,  Sept.  17,  1862. 
Colonel  William  J.  Bolton,  June  8,  1864;  brevet  Brigadier  General,  Mar. 
13,  1865.     In  North  Carolina.     With  the  Corps  throughout. 

1  bth  infantry :  Colonel  Francis  Mahler,  July  30,  1862.  With  the  Corps 
from  September,  1862,  to  December,  1862. 

100$  infantry:  Colonel  Daniel  Leasure.  See  above.  Lieutenant  Colonel 
David  A.  Lecky,  July  12,  1862  ;  resigned  Dec.  30,  1862.  Colonel  Norman 
J.  Maxwell,  April  8,  1865.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Matthew  M.  Dawson  ;  died 
June  30,  1864.     With  the  Corps  throughout. 

200th  infantry :  Colonel  Charles  W  Diven,  Sept.  3,  1865  ;  brevet  Briga- 
dier General  Vols.,  Mar.  25,  1865.  Lieutenant  Colonel  W.  H.  Mc Call ; 
brevet  Colonel,  Mar.  25,  1865  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Apr.  2,  1865. 
Joined  the  Corps,  December,  1864. 

205th  infantry :  Colonel  Joseph  A.  Matthews.  See  above.  Lieutenant 
Colonel  William  F.  Walter.     Joined  the  Corps,  December,  1864. 

207$  infantry :  Colonel  Robert  C.  Cox,  Sept.  8,  1864  ;  brevet  Brigadier 
General  Vols.,  Apr.  2,  1865.     Joined  the  Corps,  December,  1864. 

20&th  infantry :  Colonel  Alfred  B.  McCalmont.  See  above.  Brevet  Brig- 
adier General  Vols.,  Mar.  13,  1865.  Lieutenant  Colonel  M.  T.  Heintzel- 
man ;  brevet  Colonel,  Apr.  2,  1865.     Joined  the  Corps,  December,  1864. 

209$  infantry:  Colonel  Tobias  B.  Kaufman,  Sept.  16,  1864  ;  brevet  Colo- 
nel George  W  Frederick,  April  2,  1865.     Joined  the  Corps,  Dec,  1864. 

211th  infantry :  Colonel  James  H.  Trimble,  Sept.  16,  1864;  honorably 
discharged  Mar.  18,  1865.  Colonel  Levi  A.  Dodd,  Mar.  19,  1865;  brevet 
Brigadier  General,  July  8,  1865.     Joined  the  Corps,  December,  1864. 

13th  cavalry:  Colonel  Michael  Kerwin,  Oct.  7,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Cavalry  Corps,  June,  1864.     Joined  the  Corps,  May,  1864. 

2d  heavy  artillery  :  Colonel  James  L.  Anderson,  July  23,  1864  ;  killed  in 
battle.  Colonel  William  M.  McClure,  Sept.  30, 1864  ;  honorably  discharged 
67 


530  ROSTER    OF   THE   NINTH   CORPS. 

Mar.  7,  1865.  Colonel  S.  I).  Strawbridge,  Mar.  8,  1865.  Joined  the  Corps, 
May,  1864. 

Battery  B,  independent  volunteer  artillery:  Captain  Charles  F.  Muller, 
Sept.  1,  1861 ;  resigned  Nov.  12,  1862.  Captain  Alanson  J.  Stevens,  Dec. 
6,  1852. 

Battery  D,  independent  volunteer  artillery  :  Captain  George  W.  Durell, 
Sept.  24,  1861 ;  discharged  Sept.  23,  1864.  Captain  Samuel  H.  Ehoads, 
Sept.  24,  1864.     With  the  Corps  throughout. 

Maryland.  2d  infantry  :  Colonel  T.  B.  Allard.  Lieutenant  Colonel 
J.  E.  Duryea,  Sept.  21,  1861.    Major  H.  Howard. 

3d  infantry  (veterans'):  Lieutenant  Colonel  Gilbert  P.  Robinson;  brevet 
Colonel,  Aug.  18,  1864. 

Ohio.  11th  infantry :  Colonel  Charles  A.  DeVilliers,  July  6,  1861.  Ma- 
jor Lyman  J.  Jackson.  With  the  Corps  from  September,  1862,  to  October, 
1862. 

12th  infantry  ;  Colonel  Carr  B.  White,  Sept.  10,  1861.  Joined  the  Corps 
September,  1862  ;  transferred  to  West  Virginia,  October,  1862. 

14th  infantry  :  Colonel  George  P.  Este,  July  17, 1862.  Joined  the  Corps, 
May,  1864. 

23d  infantry :  Colonel  Eliakim  P.  Scammon.  See  above.  Lieutenant 
Colonel  R.  B.  Hayes.  Major  J.  N.  Cornly.  Joined  the  Corps  September, 
1862;  transferred  to  West  Virginia,  October,  1862. 

28th  infantry :  Colonel  Augustus  Moor;  taken  prisoner  Sept.  12,1862. 
See  above.  Lieutenant  Colonel  G.  Becker;  resigned  Sept.  24,  1862.  Major 
A.  Bohlender.  Joined  the  Corps,  September,  1862  ;  transferred  to  West 
Virginia,  October,  1862. 

SOth  infantry :  Colonel  Hugh  Ewing.  See  above.  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Theodore  Jones.  Major  George  H.  Hildt.  Joined  the  Corps,  September, 
1862;  transferred  to  West  Virginia,  October,  1862. 

36th  infantry  :  Colonel  George  Crook.  See  above.  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Melvin  Clark,  Major  E.  B.  Andrews.  Joined  the  Corps,  September,  1862; 
transferred  to  West  Virginia,  October,  1862. 

60/A  infantry:  Lieutenant  Colonel  James  N.  McElroy,  April  6, 1864  ;  re- 
signed. Lieutenant  Colonel  Martin  P.  Avery,  Aug.  16,  .1864.  Joined  the 
Corps,  May,  1864. 

8Qth  infantry :  Colonel  Wilson  C.  Lemert,  July  14,1863.  See  above. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Robert  W.  McFarland,  July  8,  1863.  Major  William 
Krauss.  Company  K  as  artillery.  A  six  months  regiment.  Withthe  Corps 
in  Kentucky  and  East  Tennessee. 

129th  infantry :  Colonel  Howard  D.  John,  Aug.  10,  1863.  Conipany  K 
as  artillery.  A  six  months  regiment.  With  the  Corps  in  Kentucky  and 
East  Tennessee. 

1st  battery  of  light  artillery  :  Captain  James  R.  McMullen,  July  31,  1861. 


ROSTER   OP   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  531 

Joined  the  Corps,  September,  1862  ;  transferred  to  West  Virginia,  October, 
1862. 

22c?  lattery  of  light  artillery:  Captain  Henry  M.  Neil,  July  14,  1863. 
Formed  from  86th  and  129th  infantry.     See  above. 

23c?  lattery  of  light  artillery:  Captain  Simmons.  Originally  a  company  of 
the  1st  Kentucky  infantry,  composed  of  Ohio  men.  Joined  the  Corps,  Sep- 
tember, 1862  ;  transferred  to  West  Virginia,  October,  1862. 

2d  cavalry:  Colonel  George  A.  Purinton,  May  9,  1864;  mustered  out, 
Oct.  28,  1864.  Colonel  Dudley  Seward,  Nov.  4,  1864.  Joined  the  Corps, 
April,  1864. 

Independent  company  of  volunteer  cavalry :  Captain  Frank  Smith.  Joined 
the  Corps,  September,  1862  ;  transferred  to  West  Virginia,  October,  1862. 

Alh  independent  lattalion  of  volunteer  cavalry:  Major  J.  T.  Wheeler,  Aug. 
20,  1863.     With  the  Corps  in  Kentucky  and  East  Tennessee. 

Illinois.  Company  of  volunteer  dragoons:  Captain  F.  Schambeck. 
Joined  the  Corps,  September,  1862  ;  transferred  to  West  Virginia,  October, 
1862. 

Indiana.  71st  infantry,  (mounted):  Colonel  James  Biddle,  Nov.  11, 
1862;  brevet  Brigadier  General,  Mar.  13,  1865.  With  the  Corps  in  Ken- 
tucky and  East  Tennessee. 

3d  cavalry:  Colonel  Scott  Carter,  Oct.  21,  1861.  With  the  Corps  from 
August,  1862,  to  November,  1862. 

Michigan.  2c?  infantry :  Colonel  Orlando  M.  Poe.  See  above.  Colo- 
nel William  Humphrey.  See  above.  Colonel  Edwin  J.  March,  Sept.  30, 
1864.    Joined  the  Corps,  October,  1862. 

8th  infantry :  Colonel  William  M.  Fenton.  See  above.  Colonel  Frank 
Graves,  May  1,  1863  ;  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  6,  1864. 
Colonel  Ralph  Ely.  See  above.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Richard  N.  Doyle. 
Joined  the  Corps,  July,  1862. 

lbth  infantry:  Colonel  John  M.  Oliver,  Jan.  15,  1862.  With  the  Corps 
in  Mississippi  only. 

17th  infantry:  Colonel  William  H.  Withington,  Aug.  11,  1862  ;  resigned 
Mar.  21,  ,1863.  Colonel  Constant  Luce,  Mar.  21,  1863.  Joined  the  Corps, 
September,  1862. 

20th  infantry :  Colonel  Adolphus  W  Williams,  July  26,1862.  Colonel 
Byron  M.  Cutcheon.  See  above.  Major  Claudius  B.  Grant,  June  20, 1864. 
Joined  the  Corps,  September,  1862. 

27th  infantry:  Colonel  Dorus  M.  Fox,  Dec.  31,1862;  resigned,  Oct.  3, 
1864.  Colonel  William  B.  Wright,  Oct.  3,  1864.  Colonel  Charles  Waite, 
brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  March  13,  1865.  Joined  the  Corps,  April, 
1863. 

1st  sharp  shooters :  Colonel  Charles  V  Deland,  Jan.  1, 1863.  Joined  the 
Corps,  March,  1864. 


532  ROSTER   OF   THE    NINTH    CORPS. 

Virginia.  1st  cavalry :  One  company,  Captain  D.  Deland.  Joined  the 
Corps  September,  1862  ;  transferred  to  West  Virginia,  October,  1862. 

1st  artillery :  Companies  B  and  D. 

Wisconsin.  57th  infantry:  Colonel  Samuel  Harriman.  See  above. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Anson  O.  Doolittle,  Apr.  2,  1864;  resigned  Sept.  7. 
1864.  Lieutenant  Colonel  William  J.  Kershaw,  Sept.  27,  1864;  resigned 
Oct.  18,  1864.  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  Green,  Dec.  15,  1864.  Joined 
the  Corps,  April,  1864. 

38th  infantry :  Colonel  James  Bintliff,  Mar.  8,  1864;  brevet  Brigadier 
General  Vols.,  Apr.  2,  1865.     Joined  the  Corps,  April,  1864. 

United  States.  4th  infantry :  First  Lieutenant  Robert  P.  McKibbin, 
Aug.  1,  1862.  First  Lieutenant  George  M.  Randall,  Nov.  6,  1862.  With 
the  Corps,  from  April,  1864,  to  July,  1864. 

10^  infantry :  With  the  Corps,  from  April,  1864,  to  July,  1864. 

2d  artillery,  lattery  D :  First  Lieutenant  Edward  B.  Williston,  Sept.  27, 
1861. 

2d  artillery,  battery  E :  Captain  Samuel  N.  Benjamin.  See  above.  Lieu- 
tenant James  S.  Dudley,  May  23,  1863.     With  the  Corps  throughout. 

2d  artillery,  battery  M:  First  Lieutenant  Carle  A.  Woodruff,  July  24, 
1862. 

2d  artillery,  battery  B  and  L  :  First  Lieutenant  John  McGilvery,  May  6, 
1864. 

3d  artillery,  battery  C :  Captain  Dunbar  R.  Ransom,  Nov.  1,  1861. 

3d  artillery,  battery  G:  First  Lieutenant  Edmund  Pendleton,  Oct.  26, 
1861 ;  dismissed  Oct.  14,  1864. 

3d  artillery,  battery  L  and  M:  Captain  John  Edwards,  Jr.      See  above. 

4th  artillery  battery :  Captain  Joseph  C.  Clark,  Jr.,  May  14,  1861. 

ith  artillery,  battery  E :  First  Lieutenant  George  Dickenson,  Nov.  29, 
1861 ;  killed  at  Fredericksburg,  Dec.  13,  1864.  Battery  C  added ;  Captain 
Marcus  P.  Miller,  May  11,  1864. 

5th  artillery,  battery  A  :  First  Lieutenant  Charles  P.  Muhlenburg,  May  14, 
1861. 

5ih  artillery,  battery  L  :  First  Lieutenant  Wallace  F.  Randolph,  Mar.  1, 
1862. 

The  Artillery  Brigade  was  under  the  command  of  Captain  James  M. 
Robertson,  May  14,  1861  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.,  Mar.  13, 1865. 

United  States  colored  troops.  1 9th  infantry :  Colonel  Henry  G. 
Thomas.     See  above. 

23<i  infantry  :  Colonel  Cleveland  J.  Campbell ;  brevet  Brigadier  General 
Vols.,  Mar.  1.3,  1865. 

27i!/i  infantry :  Colonel  A.  M.  Blackman  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols., 
Oct.  27,  1864. 


ROSTER   OF   THE   NINTH    CORPS.  533 

28th  infantry :  Colonel  Charles  S.  Russell ;  died  at  Cincinnati,  Nov.   2, 
1866.     See  above. 

29th  infantry :  Lieutenant  Colonel  Bross ;  killed  in  the  Crater,  July  30, 
1864. 

30th  infantry :  Colonel  Delavan  Bates.     See  above.     Lieutenant  Colonel 
H.  A.  Oakman ;  brevet  Colonel,  Mar,  13,  1865. 

31st  infantry ;  Colonel  Henry  C.  Ward;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols., 
Nov.  9,  1865. 

39th  infantry  :  Colonel  C.  J.  Wright ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols. 
4:3d  infantry :  Colonel  L.  B.  Yeoman ;  brevet   Brigadier  General  Vols., 
Mar.  13,  1865. 

Troops  in  North  Carolina,  under  the  command  of  General  Burnside,  not 
enumerated  above : 

Massachusetts.     17th  infantry:  Colonel  Thomas  J.  C.  Amory,  Sept.  2, 
1861  ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols.;  died  Oct.  7,  1864. 
23d  infantry:  Colonel  John  Kurtz,  Oct.  23,  1861. 

24th  infantry :  Colonel  Thomas  G.  Stevenson.  See  above.  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Francis  A.  Osborn,  Aug.  31,  1861 ;  brevet  Brigadier  General  Vols., 
Mar.  13,  1865. 

25^  infantry:  Colonel  Edwin  Upton,  Sepc.  9,  1861. 
27th  infantry:  Colonel  Horace  C.  Lee,  Sept.  3,  1861. 
Rhode  Island.    Battery  F.  1st  light  artillery  :    Captain  James  Belger, 
Oct.  17,  1861. 

blh  battalion  infantry :  Major  John  Wright,  Dec.  16,  1861. 
Connecticut.     10th  infantry :  Colonel  Charles  L.  Russell,  Oct.  24, 1861 ; 
killed  at  Roanoke  Island,  Feb.  8,  1862.     Colonel  Albert  W  Drake,  Feb.  8, 
1862 ;  died  June  5,  1862.     Colonel  Ira  W.  Pettibone,  June  5,  1862. 

New  York.     3d  lattery  of  light  artillery  ;  Captain  Thaddeus  P.  Mott,  Nov. 
2,  1861. 

3d  cavalry  :  Colonel  James  H.  Van  Alen,  Aug.  28,  1861.     Colonel  Simon 
H.  Mix,  April  8,  1862. 
Marine  Artillery  :  Colonel  William  A.  Howard,  Sept.  1,  1861. 
Rocket  battalion  of  volunteer  artillery  :    Major  Thomas  M.  Lyon,  Dec.  7, 
1861. 

New  Jersey.     9th  infantry  :  Colonel  Joseph  W.  Allen  ;  drowned  Jan. 
15,  1862.    Lieutenant  Colonel  James  Wilson. 

United  States.    1st  artillery,  Company  C.     Captain  L.  O.  Morris,  Apr. 
21,  1861. 

VOLUNTEER  AIDES  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG. 

Lloyd  Aspinwall  ;  Colonel  by  special  order,  Dec.  11,  1862. 

William  Goddard  ;  Major  1st  Rhode  Island,  June  27,  1861  ;  Major  by 
special  order,  Dec.  11,  1862. 


534  ROSTER   OF    THE   NINTH    CORPS. 

Ulric  Dahlgren  :  Captain,  A.  D.  C,  May  29,  1862. 
Brock  Cutting:  Captain  by  special  order,  Dec.  11,  1862. 

Note. — The  division  and  brigade  staffs  changed  so  often  as  to  make  it  impossi- 
ble to  give  them  with  accuracy. 


GENEEAL  INDEX. 


Adams  Col.,  in  fight  near  Marysville,  339. 

Adams  Fort,  Burnside  at,  7. 

After  Antietam,  156. 

After  Fredericksburg,  236. 

After  the  Siege,  352. 

Aides  de  camp,  517. 

Albermarle  Sound  controlled  by  our 
fleet,  47,  63. 

Alexandria  occupied  by  Willcox,  172; 
McClellan  at,  106;  Ninth  Corps  at,  369; 
Ninth  Corps  return  to,  487. 

Allen  Col.  J.  W.,  of  the  9th  New  Jersey, 
notice  of,  25. 

Amory  Col.  T.  J.  C,  of  the  17th  Massa- 
chusetts, 84. 

Anderson  W.  P.,  Ass'tAdj't  Gen.,  514. 

Andrews,  Lieut.,  reconnoitres  Ashby's 
harbor,  39. 

Annapolis,  Md.,  arrival  of  First  Rhode 
Island  at,  14 ;  North  Carolina  expedition 
rendezvous  at,  21,  departs  from,  23 ;  Ninth 
Corps  rendezvous  at,  367,  departs  from,  36S. 

Annapolis  Junction,  First  llhode Island 
marches  to,  14. 

Antietam,  The  Battle  op,  132. 

Archer's  brigade  broken  by  Meade  at 
Fredericksburg,  220. 

Armies  of  the  United  States,  Scott  Gene- 
ral in  Chief  of,  20;  McClellan  in  command 
of,  29 ;  Halleck  in  command  of,  101 ;  Grant 
in  command  of,  364. 

A  r  m  y  of  Northern  Virginia  under  Lee,  91 ; 
at  Frederick,  119 ;  at  Antietam,  134 ;  cros- 
ses the  Potomac,  157 ;  at  Fredericksburg, 
201;  at  Chancellorsville,  291;  fights  Grant 
in  the  "Wilderness,  372 ;  at  Spottsylvania, 
377;  at  the  North  Anna,  391:  upon  the 
Chickahominy,  397 ;  defending  Petersburg, 
418;  surrenders  to  Grant,  486. 

Army  of  the  James  in  front  of  Richmond, 
418. 

Army  of  the  Potomac,  McClellan  in  com- 
mand of,  20 ;  operations  of  on  the  Penin- 
sula, 91 ;  Army  The  of  the  Potomac,  99 ; 
evacuates  the  Peninsula,  106;  at  Frederick, 
120;  at  Antietam,  133;  crosses  the  Poto- 
mac, 168 ;  Burnside  in  command  of,  170 ; 
moves  to  Falmouth,  187;  fights  the  battle 
of  Fredericksburg,  210;  morale  of,  244; 
Hooker  in  command  of,  248;  Meade  in 
command  of,  282;  fights  the  battle  of  Get- 
tysburg, 282;  Ninth  Corps  to  co-operate 
with.  370;  moves  from  the  Rapidan,  371; 
9th  Corps  incorporated  with,  394;  crosses 
the  James,  408;  invests  Petersburg,  418; 
moves  to  Hatcher's  run,  473 ;  is  saved  by 


Gen.  Hartranft,  479;  Gen.  Parke  in  com- 
mand of.  479;  moves  to  the  left.  481;  pur- 
sues Lee  and  compels  his  surrenderv.486. 

Army  of  Virginia  under  Pope,  103;  de- 
feated, 107;  fights  at  Bull  Run,  112;  fights 
at  Chantilly,  114. 

Arnold  Capt.,  commands  battery  at  Bull 
Run,  18. 

Arnold  Job,  Capt.  of  the  Fifth  Rhode 
Island,  70 

Arnold  Sally  Miss,  marries  Mr.  Rodman, 
153. 

Ashby's,   harbor  troops  landed  at,  40. 

Assistant  Adjutants  General,  514. 

Assistant  Inspectors  General,  515. 

At  Falmouth,   200. 

Audenried  Capt.  Aide  to  Sherman,  352. 

A  v  e  r  i  1 1,  Gen.  suggests  a  plan  for  a  raid, 
236;  starts  on  the  raid,  237;  is  recalled,  239. 

Avery,  Capt.  ~W.  B.,  in  command  of  gun- 
boat 22  n ;  at  Tranter's  Creek,  90. 

Avery,  Col.,  rebel  captured  at  Newbern,  68. 

Ay  ers,  R.  B.,  at  We'st  Point,  6;  a  member 
of  Court  of  Inquiry,  452 

Babbitt,  J.  Maj.,  killed  at  Fredericks- 
burg, 224. 

Bab  cock,  O.  E.,  Lieut.  Col.,  Engineer  at 
Knoxville,  347,  514. 

Bailey,  S.  Henry,  Capt.,  killed  at  Spottsyl- 
vania, 386. 

Baker,  Chas.  E.  Capt.,  in  command  of 
gunboat  22  n. 

Ball,  Chaplain,  remark  of  Stuart  to,  503;  at 
the  battle  of  Camden,  504. 

B.all,  Flamen,  District  Attorney  in  Vallan- 
digham  case,  271. 

Banks,  N.  P.  Gen.,  is  pursued  by  Jackson, 
89 ;  guards  trains  of  the  Army  of  Virginia, 
113. 

Barber,  Col.,  rebel  captured  at  Spottsyl- 
vania, 385. 

B  a  r  k  s  d  a  1  e,  Gen  ,  commands  rebel  brig- 
ade at  Fredericksburg,  212. 

Barlow,  Gen.,  magnificent  charge  of,  397, 
attacks  at  Petersburg,  408. 

Barnes,  G.  C,  Lieut.  Col.,  mortally 
wounded  near  Petersburg,  413. 

Barnes,   Jos.  H.,  commands  brigade,  524. 

B  a  r  1 1  e  1 1,  Capt.,  of  the  35th  Massachusetts, 
killed,  493. 

Bartlett,  W.F.Gen.,  disabled  by  wound, 
438;  taken  prisoner  in  the  crater  of  the 
mine,  449;  commands  brigade,  524. 

B  a  s  c  o  m,  G.  M.  Capt.,  Ass't  Adj't  Gen.,  162, 
514. 

Batch  elder,  R.N.  B.,  Quartermaster,  519. 


536 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Bates,  Delavan,  Col.,  wounded  in  the  cra- 
ter, 444;  commands  brigade,  470,  524. 

Battle  of  Bull  Run,  first,  15;  of  Roanoke 
Island,  40;  of  Newbern,  57;  of  Camden, 
81 ;  of  Bull  Run  second,  111;  of  Chantilly, 
114;  of  South  Mountain,  124;  of  Antietam, 
137 ;  of  Fredericksburg,  215,  of  Buffington 
Island  and  Chester,  296;  of  Blue  Springs, 
825;  of  Lenoir's,  332;  of  Campbell  Sta- 
tion, 335;  of  Fort  Sanders,  317;  of  the 
Wilderness,  372;  of  Spottsylvania  Court 
House,  378;  oi  the  North  Anna,  392;  of 
Cold  Harbor,  397;  in  front  of  Petersburg, 
409 ;  of  the  mine,  433 ;  oi  the  Weldon  rail- 
road, 465  ;  of  Poplar  Spring  Church, 
467;  of  Hatcher's  Run,  470;  of  Fort  Sted- 
man,  476 ;  of  Petersburg,  483. 

Bayard,  Gen.,  commands  Brigade  in 
Virginia,  169;  at  Fredericksburg,  214. 

Beach,   Francis,  commands  brigade,  522. 

Bean,  Capt.  of  the  59th  Mass.,  killed,  493. 

Beaufort,  N.C.,  occupied,  71. 

Bed  low,  H.  Capt.,  accompanies  Mauran 
to  Newbern,  91. 

Bee,  Barnard  E.,  at  West  Point,  6. 

Beginning  of  the  End,  The,  463. 

Behm,  C.  F.  W  Lieut.,  in  command  of 
gunboat,  23  n. 

Behr,  Maj.,  attacks  enemy  at  Jonesville, 
355. 

Bell,  Lieut.  Col.,  in  command  of  brigade 
at  Camden,  81,  82;  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Antietam,  145. 

Benjamin,  S.N.  Lieut.,  commands  bat- 
tery at  South  Mountain,  124;  at  Antietam, 
135;  at  Knoxville,  343;  commands  artillery 
at  Fort  Sanders,  34S;  distinguishes  him- 
self at  Fort  Sanders,  350;  chief  of  artillery 
Ninth  Corps,  385,  517 ;  wounded,  387,  495. 

Benne  t,  Capt.  at  the  battle  of  Newbern,  56. 

Benton,  Chaplain,  mortally  wounded  at 
Newbern,  65,  504. 

Bermuda  Hundred,  Smith's  Corps 
brought  from,  396 ;  Smith  returned  to,  405 ; 
Ferrero  in  command  at,  471. 

Berry,   Matthew,  Aide  de  Camp,  518. 

B  e  th  e  s  d  a  Church,  Ninth  Corps  at,  395. 

Beuyaurd,  Lieut.,  testimony  of  before 
Court  of  Inquiry,  456. 

Biggs,  Herman,  quartermaster  in  North 
Carolina  expedition,  21  ;  promoted  to 
Lieut,  Col.,  104;  („>.  M.,  519. 

B  i  1 1  i  n  g  s  1  y,   killed  at  Knoxville,  493. 

B  i  r  n  e  y,  Gen.,  in  command  of  division  at 
Fredericksburg,  210,  218,  219. 

Bishop,  M.  11.  Miss,  married  to  Burn- 
side,  9. 

B  1  a  c  k  m  a  n,   Col.  brevetted,  474. 

Bliss,  Z.  R.  Col.,  at  the  battle  of  Freder- 
icksburg, 224;  at  the  battle  of  the  mine, 
439 ;  censured  by  court  of  inquiry,  453 ;  testi- 
mony concerning  459;  com'ds  brigade,  523. 

Blood,  Capt.  of  the  20th  Mich,  killed,  493. 

Bolton,  Col.,  captures  a  part  of  enemy's 
line,  483. 

Boomer,  E.,  master's  mate,  commands 
gunboat,  23  n. 

B  o  w  e  n,  Nicolas  Ass't  Adj.  Gen.,  514. 

Bowman,  Col.  commands  brigade  in  Ninth 
Corps,  282,  522;  at  Jackson,  Miss.,  283. 

Boyle,  J.  T.  Gen.,  in  command  in  Ken- 
tucky, 264. 

B  r  a  c  k  e  1 1,  Capt.,  receives  peace  commis- 
sioners, 473;  is  wounded,  495 ;  A.D.  C.,518. 


Bradley,  Capt.  of  the  2d  Michigan,  mor- 
tally wounded,  492. 

Bragg,  battery  of  in  New  Mexico,  7;  re- 
inforced by'  Longstreet,  314;  attacks  Rose- 
crans,  315;  sends  Longstreet  against  Burn- 
side,  328,  is  defeated  by  Grant,  347. 

Branch,  L.  O.  B.,  Gen.,  commands  rebel 
forces  at  Newbern,  55,  64. 

Brenholts,  Lieut.  Col.,  wounded  before 
Jackson,  286. 

Brigade   Commanders,  522. 

Bristow    Station,    engagement  near, 

Brockenborough,  Capt.,  commands 
rebel  battery  at  Antietam,  136 ;  at  Freder- 
icksburg, 219. 

Brooks,  Gen.,  in  command  of  division  at 
Fredericksburg,  210,  219,  220. 

B  r  o  s  s,  Lieut.  Col.  killed  at  the  battle  of 
the  mine,  443. 

Brown,  Pamelia  Miss,  marries  Edgehill 
Burnside,  4. 

Brown,  Maj.  member  of  military  com- 
mission, 269. 

Browne,  Geo.  H.  Col.,  commands  12th 
R.  I.,  279. 

Buckley,  Capt.  at  the  Battle  of  Freder- 
icksburg, 224;  in  front  of  Knoxville,  343, 
348. 

B  u  c  k  n  e  r,  Gen.  evacuates  East  Tennessee, 
306. 

Buff  urn,  Capt.  of  the  35th  Mass.  killed,  493. 

B  u  f  f  u  m,  M.  P.  Lieut.  Col.,  taken  prison- 
er in  the  crater,  449. 

Bull  Run,  first  battle  of,  15 ;  second  bat- 
tle of  111. 

Burnett,   H.  L.,  Judge  Advocate,  520. 

Burns,  V^.  W.  Gen.,  commands  division 
in  the  Ninth  Corps,  163, 171, 521 ;  crosses  the 
1'otomac,  168;  at  the  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg, 223,  224. 

Burnsidk,  A.  E.,  his  birth  and  education, 
5;  graduates  at  West  Point,  6;  in  New 
Mexico,  7;  rides  across  the  plains,  8;  in- 
vents carbine,  8 ;  his  marriage,  9;  resigns, 
9;  removes  to  Chicago,  10;  visits  New 
Orleans,  11;  in  command  of  the  First 
Rhode  Island,  13;  at  Washington,  14;  at 
the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  15;  appointed 
Brigadier  General,  21;  organizes  expedi- 
tion to  North  Carolina,  21;  in  the  storm 
at  Hatteras,  27;  his  instructions,  30;  at- 
tacks Roanoke  Island,  39;  receives  the 
thanks  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Rhode 
Island,  50  ;  paroles  his  prisoners,  52 ; 
moves  against  Newbern,  55;  and  fights 
the  battle  of  Newbern,  57;  moves  against 
Beaufort,  70;  promoted  to  Major  Gen- 
eral, 75  ;  administers  affairs  in  North 
Carolina,  76;  receives  sword  from  Rhode 
Island,  91;  reinforces  McClellan,  94;  of- 
fered the  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  102 ;  in  command  of  9th  Corps, 
104 ;  waives  his  rank  in  favor  of  Pope,  104 ; 
at  Fredericksburg,  105;  evacuates  Freder- 
icksburg, 117;  the  command  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  again  offered  to,  118 ;  fights 
the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  124 ;  in  com- 
mand of  the  left  wing  at  Antietam,  134 ;  at- 
tacks the  enemy  at  bridge,  141 ;  carries  the 
bridge,  145;  advances  on  Sharpsburg,  148; 
crosses  the  Potomac,  168;  in  command  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  170 ;  his  feelings 
upon  assuming  the  command,  174;  pre- 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


537 


pares  his  plan  of  operation,  178 ;  conflict 
of  statement  between  Halleck  and,  184; 
moves  his  army,  187;  arranges  for  pon- 
tons, 190;   writes  to  Cullum,  197;   deter- 
mines to  fight  Lee  at  Fredericksburg,  200 ; 
crosses  the  Rappahannock,  213;  prepares 
his  order  of  battle,  215 ;  fights  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  216 ;  determines  to  renew 
the  battle,  227;  finally  decides  to  recross 
the  Rappahannock,  228;   preliminary  re- 
port of  the  battle,  234;  decides  to  make  a 
new  movement,  237;    is  stopped  by  the 
President,  238;    writes  to   the   President 
and  Halleck,  239,  240 ;  makes  a  movement 
to  Banks'  Ford,  243;  is  relieved  of  com- 
mand and  returns  home,  244;   causes  of 
failure  of,  245;    tenders  his  resignation, 
which  is  not  accepted,  246 ;  takes  leave  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  248 ;  is  assigned 
to  command  the  department  of  the  Ohio, 
261;  issues  order  No.  38,  265;  arrests  Val- 
landigham,  268;    submits  a  statement  of 
the  case  to  Judge  Leavitt,  270 ;  sends  away 
his  prisoner,  273 ;  opinions  of,  respecting 
liberty  of  speech  and  the  press,  275 ;  pre- 
pares a  plan  for  movement  on  East  Ten- 
nessee, 278;    despatches  Ninth   Corps  to 
Jackson,  279;  is  the  guiding  mind  of  the 
pursuit  of  Morgan,  300;    advances  upon 
East  Tennessee,  302 ;  reception  of,  by  the 
people  of  East  Tennessee,  308,  309;  enters 
Kingston  and  Knoxville,  309;  receives  the 
surrender  of   Cumberland  Gap,   310;   re- 
ceives intelligence  of  Rosecraas'  success, 
311;  offers  his  resignation,  312;  is  ordered 
to  occupy  the  Ho lston  Valley,  313;  is  or- 
dered to  roenforce  Rosecrans,  314;  at  Car- 
ter's Station,  316 ;  prepares  a  plan  to  march 
to  the  coast,  319;  his  differences  with  Hal- 
leck, 321 ;  the  wisdom  of  his  plans,  324 ;  con- 
fers with  Dana  and  Wilson,  331;   fights 
Longstreetat  Lenoir's,  333 ;  again  at  Camp- 
bell's Station,  335 ;  is  besieged  at  Knoxville, 
342;  defends  himself  with  great  tenacity, 
346 ;  beats  ofTLongstreet,  and  is  relieved  by 
Sherman,  352 ;  is  relieved  of  the  command 
of  the  department  by  Foster,  355 ;  returns  to 
Providence,  357;  is  thanked  by  Congress, 
357;  is  ordered  to  recruit  the  Ninth  Corps, 
365 ;  leaves  home  for  his  last  campaign,  367 ; 
reviews  the  Corps  at  Washington,   368; 
proceeds   to    Warrenton    Junction,    389; 
reenforces   Grant  in  the  Wilderness,  372; 
fights  at  Spottsylvania,  383;  moves  to  the 
North  Anna,  390 ;  waives  his  rank  in  favor 
of  Meade,  394;  in  the  battle  of  Cold  Har- 
bor, 397;  crosses  the  James,  408;  attacks 
on  the  17th  and  1 8th  of  June,  409 ;  approves 
plan  for  a  mine  in  front  of  Petersburg,  422 ; 
his  language  misconstrued  by  Meade,  425; 
submits  a  plan  of  attack,  426 ;  opinion  of, 
respecting  colored   troops,  428;    plan  of 
attack   disapproved,   429  ;    discusses   the 
matter  with  Meade,  430 ;  issues  his  battle 
order,  434;  urges  upon  his  commanders 
the  necessity  of  a  prompt  advance,  440; 
orders  in  the  colored  troops,  442;  is  indig- 
nant with  Meade,  444  ;   desires  aid  from 
Meatle  and  is  refused,  445 ;  is  ordered  to 
withdraw  his  troops,  447;  Meade  prefers 
charges  against,  451 ;  court  of  inquiry  in- 
vestigates   the    action    of,    452;    protests 
against  the  constitution  of  the  court,  452; 

68 


is  censured  by  the  court,  453;  testimony 
of  before  the  court,  455;  examination  of 
the  points  of  the  court  against,  455;  com- 
mittee on  the  conduct  of  the  war  exoner- 
ates, 461;  granted  leave  of  absence,  463; 
the  resignation  of  accepted,  463;  elected 
Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  464 ;  affection 
and  esteem  of  the  Ninth  Corps  for,  464 :  513. 
Burnaide,  Edgehill,  father  of  A.  E.,  4. 
marries  Pamelia  Brown,  4. 

Burrage,  Maj.,  writes  account  of  siege,  342. 

Butler's  B.  F.  Gen.,  success  at  the  South, 
106 ;  failure  before  Petersburg,  405. 

Butter  field,  Gen.,  in  command  of  Fifth 
Corps,  210, 215 ;  relieves  Couch's  Corps,  226. 

B  y  i  n  g  t  o  n,  killed  before  Knoxville,  492. 

B  y  r  d,  Col.,  in  command  of  cavalry  in  East 
Tennessee,  312. 

Cairo,  the  Ninth  Corps  at,  280,  return  to, 
288. 

Camden,  battle  of,  81. 

Cameron,  Col.  killed  at  Bull  Run,  17. 

Cameron,  Col.  at  siege  of  Knoxville,  473. 

Campaign  in  Maryland,  The — South 
Mountain,  118. 

Campaign  in  Mississippi,  The,  279. 

C  a  m  p  b  e  1 1,  J.  A.,  peace  commissioner,  473. 

Campbell's  Station,  battle  of, 335;  Long- 
street  defeated  at,  337. 

Carey,  E.  M.,  Maj.  of  12th  Ohio,  com- 
mended by  Cox,  161. 

Carey,   S.,  Aide  de  camp,  518. 

Casey,  James  S.,  commissary  of  musters, 
520. 

Carolina  City,    occupied  by  Parke,  71. 

Carpenter,  Capt.  commands  rebel  bat- 
tery at  Antietam,  136. 

Carpenter,  Capt.,  killed,  493. 

C  a  r  r  u  t  h,  Lieut.  Col.,  in  command  of  35th 
Mass.,  145,  commands  brigade,  523. 

Carter,  S  P.  Gen.,  raids  into  East  Ten- 
nessee, 292. 

C  a  s  k  i  e,  Capt.,  commands  rebel  battery  at 
Antietam,  136. 

Cedar  Creek,  Gen.  Sheridan's  brilliant 
exploit  at,  479. 

Cedar  Mountain,  Gen.  Reno  joined 
McDowell  at,  107. 

Cemetery  Hill,  enemy  fortifies,  412, 
attack  upon,  ordered  by  Meade,  427 ;  attack 
upon,  ordered  by  Burnside,  435. 

Centre  v  ill  e,  Army  of  Potomac  under 
McDowell  at,  15 ;  Army  of  Potomac  under 
Pope  at,  110,  111. 

Cham  bios,  H.  S.,  assistant  quartermas- 
ter, 519. 

Chandler,  C.  L.,  Lieut.,  fell  at  theNorth 
Anna,  392. 

Chantilly,  battle  of,  114. 

Chapin,  Col.,  commands  brigade  in  East 
Tennessee,  333. 

Chaplains,  character  and  services  of,  502. 

Chaplin,  J.  C,  Lieut,  in  command  of 
gunboat,  22n  ;  at  Elizabeth  City,  49. 

Chattanooga,  Rosecrans  in  possession 
of,  311 ;  scarcity  of  supplies  at,  323 ;  Grant 
at,  328. 

Chickamauga,  Rosecrans,  defeated  at, 
S19 

Chief  of  Cavalry,  516. 

Chiefs  of  artillery,  517,525. 

Chipman,  Major  of  59th  Mass.,  killed,  493. 

Christ,  B.  C.  Col.,  commands  brigade  in  9th 


538 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Corps,  171, 522;  at  Campbell's  station,  336; 
at  the  siege  of  Knoxville,  343  n. ;  makes  a 
splendid  attack  at  Spottsylvania,  376 ;  wins 
a  success  in  front  of  Petersburg,  410;  is 
wounded  413;  is  brevetted  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral, 474. 

Christian  Commission,  labors  of,  501. 

Christie,  S.  L.  Lieut.,  Aide  to  Gen. 
Cox,  162,  518. 

Chubb,  Surgeon,  testimony  of  respecting 
Ledlie,  457. 

Church,  W.  H.  Dr.,  medical  director  of 
North  Carolina  army,  21 ;  writes  account 
of  entrance  into  E.  Tennessee,  308 ;  resigns 
his  commission,  499;  sketch  of,  499;  death 
of,  500 ;  medical  director,  515. 

Cincinnati,  headquarters  of  department 
of  the  Ohio,  261 ;  Vallandigham  tried  at, 
269;  threatened  by  Morgan,  296. 

Clark,  Capt.,  commands  battery  in  9th 
corps,  142. 

Clark,  Capt.  of  the  21st  Mass.,  killed,  493. 

Clark,  Lieut.  Col.,  commanding 36th  Ohio, 
killed,  106. 

Clark,  W.  S.  Lieut.  Col.,  commanding 
21st  Mass.,  60;  gallant  charge  of,  at  battle 
of  Newbern,  60,  63 ;  at  battle  of  Camden, 
80 ;  at  Antietam,  145. 

Closing  Scenes,  The,  475 

C 1  u  k  e,  a  rebel  raider  in  Kentucky,  277. 

Co  ale,  J.  H.,  commissary  of  subsistence, 
520. 

Codddington,  Clifford,  Aide  de  camp, 
518. 

Cold  Harbor,  battle  of,  397. 

Coleman,  A.  H.  Col.,  killed  at  Antietam, 
161. 

C  o  1  h  o  u  n,  E.  R.,  Lieut,  in  command  of 
gunboat,  23  n. 

Collingwood,  Lieut.  29th  Mass.,  killed, 
493. 

Colored  Troops,  Burnside's  opinion  of, 
366;  joined  the  9th  Corps,  367;  duty  of 
guarding  trains  committed  to,  375 ;  in  18th 
corps,  406;  rejoined  the  Corps,  419;  ex- 
pected to  assault  Petersburg,  427 ;  Meade's 
opinion  of,  429;  Grant's  opinion  of,  430, 
431:  at  the  assault  in  the  crater,  442,  444; 
reorganized,  467;  at  Pegram  farm,  468 ;  at 
Hatcher's  run,  470  ;  at  Bermuda  Hun- 
dred, 471. 

Commissaries   of  musters,   520. 

Commissaries  of  subsistence,  519. 

Committee  on  Conduct  of  War,  testi- 
mony before,  185,  432;  investigates  mine 
affair,  460;  opinion  of,  relating  to  mine, 
461. 

Comstock,  Lieut.,  engineer  in  Army  of 
Potomac,  191 ;  makes  mistake  in  posting 
troops,  379. 

Conclusion,  490. 

Confederacy  Southern,  not  recognized, 
159;  bisected,  304;  proved  a  shell,  323;  in 
the  gripe  of  Grant,  419 ;  Sherman  demon- 
strates weakness  of,  475. 

Congress  frigate,  burned,  53. 

Congress,  passes  law  organizing  corps, 
104;  thanks  Burnside  and  his  troops,  357. 

C  o  n  i  n  e,  J.  W.  Lieut.,  Aide  to  Cox,  162, 518. 

Connecticut  8th  infantry,  in  N.  C.  ex- 
pedition, 22;  in  battle  of  Roanoke  Island, 
42;  in  battle  of  Newbern,  61;  volunteers 
to  cross  Rappahanoek,  212 ;  in  Roster,  527. 


Connecticut  10th  infantry,  in  N.  C.  ex- 
pedition, 21 ;  at  battle  of  Roanoke  Island, 
42;  officers  of,  killed,  46;  in  Roster,  533. 

Connecticut  11th  infantry,  in  N.  C.  ex- 

E edition,  22 ;  at  Hatteras  Inlet,  36 ;  at  New- 
ern,  56,  58,  60,  61 :  at  Antietam,  142 ;  in 
Roster,  527. 

Connecticut  15th,  in  Roster,  527. 

Connecticut  16th,  in  Roster,  527. 

Connecticut  21st,  in  Roster,  527. 

Conquest  and  Occupation  of  East  Ten- 
nessee, 311. 

Conway,  T.  W.,  Chaplain  of  9th  New 
York,  83. 

Cook,  Capt.  commands  battery  in  N  inth 
Corps,  124, 171,  526. 

Cooke's  Life  of  Jackson,  referred  to,  230. 

Corps  Commanders,  513. 

Couch,    D.  N.,   at  West  Point,  6. 

Couch,  Gen  ,  commands  division  in  Army 
of  Potomac,  119, 121;  commands  corps  in 
Army  of  Potomac  at  the  battle  of  Freder- 
icksburg, 223,  226. 

C  o  u  i  1 1  a  r  d,  Joshua  Capt.,  commands  gnn- 
boat,  22  n. 

Court  of  Inquiry  ordered  to  investigate 
the  mine  affair,  451;  testimony  before,  454; 
finding  and  opinion  of,  453;  decision  of, 
unsupported  by  testimony,  454. 

Cox,  J.  D  Gen.,  commands  division  in  9th 
Corps,  122,  520;  at  the  battle  of  South 
Mountain,  124;  commands  corps,  132,  513; 
sketch  of,  160;  retires  from  command,  and 
moves  division  west,  160;  promoted,  162; 
on  duty  in  Ohio,  488 ;  resigns  his  commis- 
sion, 489;  is  elected  Governor  of  Ohio,  489. 

Crawford  Gen  ,  in  command  of  a  divis- 
ion near  Petersburg,  411,  412. 

Crens  haw  Capt.,  commands  rebel  battery 
at  Fredericksburg,  219. 

Crittenden,  Thos.  L.,  despatch  from,  311; 
in  command  of  first  division,  jS'iiith  Corp:-, 
382,  521;  his  division  at  the  North  Anna, 
392;  his  division  at  Cold  Harbor,  397;  re- 
tires from  the  command,  401 

Crittenden   W   L.,  at  West  Point,  6. 

Croatan  Sound,  obstructed  by  enemy, 
35;  Union  fleet  in,  36;  barricade  removed 
from,  47. 

Crocker,  Frederic,  Capt.,  in  command  of 
gunboat,  22  n. 

Crook,  Gen.,  commands  brigade  at  An- 
tietam, 135, 522 ;  attacks  bridge,  143;  crosses 
the  creek,  146;  commands  division,  520. 

Croome,  Lieut.,  killed  at  South  Mountain, 
124;  commended  by  Cox,  161. 

C  u  1 1  u  m,  G .  W.  Gen.,  Burnside  writes  to, 
178,  197. 

Cumberland  frigate,  sunk  in  Hampton 
Roads,  53. 

Cumberland  Gap,  occupied  tempora- 
rily, 31;  enemy's  garrison  at  left  without 
orders,  S06;  attacked  and  summoned,  309; 
surrendered  to  Burnside,  310. 

Cummin gs  Col.,  in  command  of  rebel 
brigade  at  Antietam,  143. 

C  u  r  t  i  n,  Col.  commands  45th  Pennsylvania, 
283, 529 ;  in  command  of  brigade,<390, 523 ;  at 
the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  397 ;  gallant  ex- 
ploit of,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  409,  410 ; 
promoted  to  brevet  Brigadier  General, 
474;  supports  Griffin's  attack  on  Peters- 
burg, 483;  commands  division,  522. 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


589 


Curtis,  J.  B.,  Lieut.  Col.,  killed  at  Fred- 
ericksburg, 225. 

Cushing,  Sam.  T.  Capt.,  commands  sig- 
nal corps  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  211. 

Cu  ten  eon,  B.  C.  Col.,  commands  20th 
Alien.,  531;  commands  brigade,  470,  524. 

Cutting,   Brock  Capt .  A.  D.  C,  534. 

Cutting,  William  Capt.,  assistant  com- 
missary, 21;  promoted  to  Major,  104;  brev- 
etted,  495;  A.  D  C,  517. 

Cutts,  J.  31.,  Capt.,  Judge  Advocate  to 
try  Vallandigham,  269,  520. 

Dahlgren.   Ulrie  Capt.,  A.  DC.  534. 

Dal  ton,  Edward  B.  Dr  medical  director 
of  Ninth  Corps,  498,  515. 

Dana,  Chas.  A.  3Ii\,  visits  Burnside  at 
Knoxville,  331;  returns  to  Grant,  332. 

Daniels,  Brevet  Col.,  gallant  conduct  of, 
468;  commands  Fort  Sedgwick,  474;  com- 
mands 7th  R.  I.,  527. 

Daniels,  Lieut,  of  the  36th  Massachu- 
setts killed,  493. 

Davenport,  11.  K.  Lieut.,  in  command  of 
gunboat,  22  n. 

Davis,  Jefferson,  plantation  of  visited,  2S3 ; 
seods  peace  commissioners,  472;  is  in- 
formed that  Petersburg  must  be  evacua- 
ted, 485. 

Davis,  John,  heroic  conduct  of,  in  attack 
on  Elizabeth  City,  49. 

Dayton,  Capt ,  has  charge  of  battery  at 
battle  of  Newbern,  56,  58. 

Dayton,  Ohio,  Vallandigham  arrested  at, 
268. 

OcCourcy,  Col  ,  meets  raiders  and  defeats 
them,  291;  invests  Cumberland  Gap,  305. 

D  e  31  o  n  t  i  e  1,  Lieut.  Col  bravery,  death, 
and  sketch  of,  46. 

D  e  W  o  1  f,  Jas.  F.  Capt.,  assistant  commis- 
sary, 21,  519. 

Dearborn    O.  31.,  ordnance  officer,  516. 

Deliverance  The,  of  Kast  Tknxessei., 
259;  its  great  importance,  360. 

Dii'AKTMiixT  op  North  Carolina,  The, 
Burnside  assumes  command  of,  32 ;  boun- 
daries of  limited  by  conquest.  76;  Burn- 
side relinquishes,  94;  Foster  in  command 
of,  95;  good  feeling  in,  97. 

Department  of  the  Cumberland,  the, 
llosecrans  in  command  of,  311 ;  Rosecrans 
relieved  from  command,  328;  Thomas  ap- 
pjinted  to  command,  328. 

Department  op  the  Ohio,  The,  261; 
Burnside  in  oommand  of,  261 ;  Wright  re- 
lieved from,  261;  constitution  of,  261;  civil 
affairs  of  assuming  prominence,  265;  trea- 
son not  to  be  permitted  in,  271. 

Dewey,  Capt.  of  the  20th  Michigan,  killed, 
493. 

Dickenson,  Capt.  in  command  of  battery 
in  Ninth  Corps,  171,  532;  killed  at  Freder* 
icksburg,  223. 

Dismal   Swamp  Canal,  to  be  occupied,  34. 

Division  commanders,  520 

D  o  h  e  r  t  y,  Maj.  of  the  57th  Massachusetts, 
killed,  493, 

Doubleday  Gen.,  in  command  of  divis- 
ion at  South  Mountain,  126;  in  command 
of  division  at  Fredericksburg,  218 ;  holds 
Stuart  in  check  at  Fredericksburg,  220. 

D  o  u  t  y,  Jacob,  JLt.,  heroic  conduct  of,  436. 

Downey,  Master's  mate  in  command  of 
gunboat,  22  a 


Drayton,  Gen.,  on  the  rebel  right  at 
South  3Iountain,  126. 

Duane,  J.  C.  3Iaj.,  derides  the  idea  of  a 
mine.  422;  testimony  of  before  court  of 
inquiry,  456. 

Duke,  Basil,  second  in  command  to  Mor- 
gan, 293;  captured,  297. 

Dure  11,  Capt.,  in  command  of  battery  in 
Ninth  Corps,  142, 171,  530. 

Duryea,  Lieut.  Col.,  in  command  of  2d 
Maryland,  144,  530. 

East  Tennessee,  the  Deliverance  op, 
259. 

East  Tennessee,  Burnside  submits  plan 
for  liberation  of.  278 ;  the  home  of  a  loyal 
people,  303;  occupation  of  bisects  confede- 
racy, 304;  Burnside's  entrance  into,  306, 
307;  importance  of  occupation  of,  321; 
Burnside  wishes  to  hold,  323;  Burnside 
leaves,  357. 

Fid  en  ton,  successful  expedition  to,  49. 

Edwards,  J.,  Jr.,  Capt.,  in  command  of 
battery  in  Ninth  Corps,  171;  chief  of  artil- 
lery, 517. 

Eigh  teen  th  Corps.     See  Ord. 

Eleventh  Corps  in  Virginia,  169 ;  in  Ten- 
nessee, 327. 

Elizabeth  City,  rebel  fleet  escapes  to, 
47;  Union  fleet  attacks,  48;  occupied  by 
Union  troops,  51. 

E 1  y,  Col.,  forms  troops  to  repel  assault  on 
Fort  Stedman,  477 ;  attacks  picket  line  of 
enemy,  483;  the  first  to  enter  Fetersburg 
and  receive  the  surrender  of  the  city,  486; 
commands  brigade,  524. 

Emerson,  Samuel  Capt.,  in  command  of 
gunboat,  22n. 

Engineers,  516. 

Enquirer,  Cincinnati,  Editor  of  warned, 
277. 

Evans,  Geo.  F.,  at  West  Point,  6;  on  rebel 
left  at  South  Mountain,  126. 

E  wel  1  Gen.,  attacks  our  troops  at  Bristow 
Station,  109 ;  attacks  the  right  flank  of  our 
army,  389. 

Ewer.  Maj.  of  the  58th  3Iass.,  killed,  493. 

Ewing,  Hugh,  Col.,  commands  brigade, 
522. 

Fairchild,  H.  S.,  Col.,  commands  89th 
New  York  at  Camden,  80;  commands  a 
brigade  at  South  Mountain,  125,  522. 

Fairfax  Court  House,  movement  up- 
on, 15 ;  retreat  of  Pope  to,  113. 

Falmouth,  army  at,  200 ;  description  of, 
205. 

Farquhar,  Capt.,  testimony  of,  before 
Court  of  Inquiry,  455. 

Fear  in  g,  George  R.,  Lieut.,  aide  de  camp, 
21,  517 ;  daring  reconnaisance  of,  65. 

F earns,  Charles  W.,  Adjutant,  killed  in 
front  of  Enoxville,  340. 

F  e  n  t  o  n,  W  M.,  Col.,  commands  brigade, 
522. 

Ferrer  o,  Edward,  Col., commands  the  51st 
New  York,  42 ;  commands  brigade,  84,  522 ; 
gallantry  of  his  brigade  at  Groveton,  113; 
gallantry  of  his  brigade  at  South  Jlountain, 
125;  promoted  to  Brigadier  General,  144n; 
gallant  attack  of  his  brigade  at  Freder- 
icksburg, 223;  commands  the  trenches  be- 
fore Jackson,  286 ;  occupies  Jackson,  286; 
fails  of  confirmation.  318 ;  afterwards  ob- 
tains confirmation,  318;  commands  divis- 


540 


GENERAL,   INDEX. 


ion  in  the  Ninth  Corps,  332, 521 ;  at  Lenoirs 
and  Campbell's  station,  333,335 ;  his  opinion 
of  the  battle  of  Campbell's  station,337 ;  com- 
mands at  fort  Sanders,  343, 350 ;  commands 
colored  division  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  367 ; 
commands  the  trains  of  the  army,  375 ;  ar- 
rives at  Petersburg,  420 ;  is  not  allowed  by 
Meade  to  lead  the  attack  on  the  mine,  429 ; 
is  ordered  to  move  his  division  after  Gen. 
Willcox's,  435;  sends  his  command  into 
the  fight,  442 ;  is  censured  by  court  of  in- 
quiry, 453;  denies  the  declaration  of  the 
court,  458;  produces  affidavits  in  contra- 
diction of  the  court,  458 ;  at  the  Pegram 
farm,  469;  at  Hatcher's  run,  470;  is  de- 
tached from  the  Ninth  Corps,  471 ;  in  com- 
mand at  Bermuda  Hundred,  471 ;  is  brevet- 
ted  Major  General,  471. 
Fifth  Corps  in  Maryland,  119;  in  Virginia, 
160;  at  Fredericksburg,  210;  Butterfield 
commands,  210;  Warren  commands,  376. 
See  "Warren. 

FlKST  COMMAXDEE  OF  THE  NINTH  CORPS, 
THE,  1. 

First  Corps  in  Maryland,  119 ;  in  Virginia, 
160;  at  Fredericksburg,  220.  See  Reynolds, 
J.J. 

Fikst  Rhode  Island,  Burnside  in  com- 
mand of,  13;  at  Washington,  14;  at  the 
battle  of  Bull  Kun,  15;  returns  home,  19;  is 
thanked  by  the  General  Assemby,  19;  pri- 
vate soldiers  of,  become  officers,  505. 

Fisher,  fort,  captured.  475. 

Fitch,  A.  H.,  Maj  member  of  military 
commission,  269. 

F  i  t  c  h,  E.  B.,  Capt.,  Quartermaster  on  Cox's 
Staff,  162,  519. 

Fitch,  Lieut.  Commander,  in  command  of 
fleet  on  the  Ohio,  296;  prevents  Morgan's 
escape,  297;  admirable  conduct  of,  300. 

Flagler,  D.  W.,  ordnance  officer,  21,  516; 
assists  Parke  at  Fort  Macon,  72;  com- 
mands battery  at  Fort  Macon.  73. 

Flusser,  Charles  W.,  Lieut.,  in  command 
of  gunboat,  22n;  a  promising  officer,  54; 
commands  expedition  to  Norfolk  Canal ,  84. 

F  1  o  y  d ,  J.  B     Burnside  embarassed  by,  9. 

Foote,  Flag  Officer,  success  of,  at  Fort 
Henry,  49. 

Forrest,  Gen.,  rebel,  attacks  our  troops 
at  Marysville,  339. 

Foster.Col.,  enters  Knoxville,  309 ;  moves 
against  Sam.  Jones,  313;  at  Carter's,  316; 
at  Blue  Springs,  325. 

Foster,  John  G.,  Gen.,  at  West  Point,  6; 
in  command  of  brigade  at  Annapolis,  21; 
lands  troops  at  Roanoke,  39;  opens  the 
battle  of  Roanoke  Island,  40 ;  receives  the 
surrender  of  Roanoke,  45 ;  opens  the  battle 
of  Newbern,  57;  advances  upon  Fort 
Thompson,  61;  commands  expedition  to 
Washington,  78 ;  commands  expedition  to 
Columbia,  79 ;  in  command  of  department 
of  North  Carolina,  94;  sketch  of,  94;  in 
command  of  department  of  the  Ohio,  355 ; 
general  order  of,  356. 
Foster,  John  L.,  Capt.,  captain  of  gun- 
boat, 22n. 
Fourth  Corps  in  Maryland,  119. 
Franklin,  Charles  L.,  Lieut.,  intrepidity 

of,  38. 
Franklin,  W.  B.,  Gen.,  in  command  of 
Corps  in  Virginia,  107;   joins  Pope,  113; 


at  Crampton's  Gap,  121;  at  Antietam,  139 
in  command  of  left  grand  division,  187! 
210 ;  opinion  of,  respecting  pontons,  196 
lays  bridges  across  the  Rappahannock, 
222;  crosses  the  Rappahannock,  214;  is  or- 
dered to  attack,  215 ;  is  sluggish  in  temper- 
ament, 217;  treats  his  orders  contemptu- 
ously, 221;  loses  his  opportunity,  231 
settles  into  obscurity,  231. 

F  r  a  z  e  r,  Capt.  of  21st  Mass.,  captured,  but 
captures  his  guard  in  turn,  65 ;  killed,  493. 

F  r  az  e  r,  Gen.,  rebel  commander  at  Cumber- 
land Gap,  309 ;  surrenders  Cumberland  Gap 
to  Burnside,  310. 

Frederick,  Md.,  occupied  by  Lee,  119 ;  by 
Burnside,  120. 

Fredericksburg,  description  of,  203. 

Fredericksburg,  the  Battle  of,  210 

Fremont,  J.  C,  Gen.,  in  command  in 
Virginia,  102. 

French,  Chas.  A.,  Master,  commands  gun- 
boat, 23n 

F  ren  c  h,  W  H  ,  Capt ,  a  staff  officer,  262n., 
520;  a  private  in  1st  R.  I.,  505. 

French,  W  H.,Gen .^commands  a  division 
"at  Antietam,  139;  at  Fredericksburg,  226. 

F  r  i  c  k  e  r,  J.,  Lieut.,  in  command  of  Signal 
Corps.  49. 

Gadsden,  Charles  A.,  Lieut.,  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Camden,  83. 

G  a  1  p  i  n,  killed  at  Knoxville,  493. 

Garrard,  Col . .  is  attacked  at  Rogersville, 
330;  under  Wilicox,  a54. 

GeorgiaRegiments  at  Antietam,  143 ; 
in  the  attack  on  Fort  Sanders,  351. 

Getty,  Gen.,  commands  division  in  the 
Ninth  Corps,  163, 171,  211,  521 ;  sends  89th 
New  York  across  the  Rappahannock,  213 ; 
atthe battle  of  Fredericksburg,224;  Getty's 
division  separated  from  the  Ninth  Corps, 
253;  men  of.  inscribe  their  tents  with  the 
initials,  ■  9th  A.  C  253n 

Gibbon.  Gen.,  makes  a  brilliant  advance 
at  South  Mountain,  127;  commands  divis- 
ion in  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  210 ;  at  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg,  220. 

Gibson.  Capt.,  commands  battery  at  Anti- 
etam. 140. 

Giddings,  John  E..  in  command  of  gun- 
boat, 28n. 

Gilbert,  Col.,  commands  brigade  in  23d 
corps,  313. 

Gillmore.  Q.  A.,  Gen.,  captures  Fort 
Pulaski.  74:  commands  in  Kentucky,  26J; 
is  relieved,  264:  fails  in  attacking  Peters- 
burg, 405. 

G  i  1  m  o  u  r.  Major,  mortally  wounded  on 
the  Tolopotomoy,  492. 

Gittings,  Capt.,  commands  battery  in 
siege  of  Knoxville.  343. 

Goddard,  R.H.I,  distinguishes  himself 
and  is  brevetted,  495;  a  private  in  the  1st 
R .  1.,  505 ;  assistant  Inspector  General,  515. 

Goddard,  ffm  .  Maj.,  A.  D.  C  ,  533. 

Goldsborough,  L.  M.,  Flag  Officer, 
commands  the  naval  forces  in  the  North 
Carolina  expedition,  22 ;  sails  trom  Hatte- 
ras  Inlet,  36;  attacks  rebel  batteries  at  Ro- 
anoke Island,  37 ;  issues,  with  Burnside.  a 
proclamation,  51;  leaves  the  waters  of 
North  Carolina,  54 ;  receives  the  thanks  of 
Congress.  75. 

Goodrich,  E.  R.,  Capt     commissary  of 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


541 


subsistence,  21,  519;  promoted  to  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel,  304 ;  a  member  of  military  com- 
mission, 269. 

G  o  o  d  w  i  ii,  J.  H.,  Jr.,  Lieut.,  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Roanoke  Island,  46. 

Gordo  n,  Gen.,  commands  rebel  attack  on 
Fort  Stedmau,  476 

G  o  s  s.   Lieut,  of  the  21st  Mass.,  killed,  493. 

Gould,  Ool.,  of  the  59th  Massachusetts, 
killed,  493;  commands  brigade,  524. 

Go  wen,  Geo.  W.,  Capt  ,  killed  while  in 
command  of  48th  Pennsylvania,  495;  A.  D. 
C,  517. 

Graham,  Capt.,  commands  battery  in  Vir- 
ginia, 113. 

Graham,  Col.,  in  East  Tennessee,  354; 
fights  the  enemy  at  Walker's  Ford,  355. 

Gr  a  n  g  e  r,  Gen.,  commands  a  corps  in  East 
Tennessee,  352. 

Grant,  U.  S.,  Gen.,  besieging  Vicksburg, 
needs  re-enforcement,  279;  Ninth  Corps 
sent  to,  280;  Gen.  Pemberton  surrenders 
to,  281;  thanks  the  Ninth  Corps  in  general 
orders,  287;  assumes  command  of  the  mili- 
tary division  of  the  Mississippi,  327;  is 
anxious  in  regard  to  East  Tennessee,  330 ; 
is  relieved  of  his  anxiety  by  Buruside,  332 ; 
despatches  to  Burnside  from,  343;  attacks 
and  defeats  Bragg,  347;  military  genius  of, 
commended,  363;  appointed  Lieutenant 
General,  364;  makes  his  headquarters  with 
the  army  of  the  Potomac,  364;  opens  the 
campaign  of  1864  by  orossing  the  Rapidan, 
371;  commends  Burnside's  march,  373, 
turns  Lee's  position  in  the  Wilderness, 
376;  attacks  Lee  at  Spottsylvania,  378;  ad- 
vances to  the  North  Anna,  389 ;  intention 
of,  to  beat  Lee  North  of  the  James,  390 ; 
attacks  at  the  North  Anna,  391;  retires 
from  the  North  Anna  and  crosses  the  Pa- 
muukey ,  394 ;  fights  the  battle  of  Cold  Har- 
bor, 397;  retires  from  Cold  Harbor  and 
crosses  the  James,  401;  considerations  re- 
specting the  movements  of,  401 ;  puts  his 
army  in  front  of  Petersburg,  408 ;  fixes  his 
grasp  on  Lee  and  his  army,  419 ;  impatient 
for  attack,  422;  disapproves  of  the  use  of 
colored  troops  to  lead  the  attack  of  July 
30,  431;  believes  if  they  had  led,  it  would 
have  been  a  success,  431n ;  at  the  headquar- 
ters of  Ninth  Corps  on  the  30th  of  July, 
437;  refuses  to  order  oourt  martial  to  try 
Burnside,  451;  examined  before  court  of 
inquiry.  454 ;  remarkable  statement  of,  480 ; 
despatches  the  6th  Corps  to  Washington, 
463 ;  endeavors  to  extend  his  lines  on  the 
left,  469;  permits  peace  commissioners  to 
pass  through  the  lines,  473;  allows  desert- 
ers to  oome  in  with  arms,  476;  compli- 
ments Hartranft,  479;  prepares  to  strike 
the  final  blow,  481;  strikes  the  blow,  482; 
Lee  surrenders  to,  4S6 

Graves.  C.  L.,  Master,  in  command  of 
gun-boat,  23n. 

Graves.  Frank,  Col.,  mortally  wounded  in 
the  Wilderness.  375. 

Graves,  G.  W.,  Master,  in  command  of 
gun-boat.  23n. 

Gregg,  Gen.,  engages  the  enemy  on  the 
30th  of  July,  450. 

Griffin.  Charles  Gen  ,  at  West  Point,  6 ; 
loses  battery  at  Bull  Run,  17 ;  commands 
division  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  210 ; 

69 


at  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  226;  at- 
tacks at  Poplar  Spring  Church,  467. 

Griffin,  S.  G.,  Lieut  Ool.,  lead -i  expedi- 
tion to  Elizabeth  City,  80 ;  at  the  battle  of 
Camden.  80;  Col. ,  commauds  the  6th  New 
Hampshire,  144;  makes  reconuaisance, 
281;  commands  brigade  in  Mississippi,  2K3, 
522 ;  commands  in  trenches  before  Jackson 
285 ;  gains  an  advantage  in  the  Wilderness , 
373;  saves  Hancock  from  defeat,  384;  wins 
his  star,  384;  at  Cold  Harbor,  398 ;  brilliant 
exploit  of,  409 ;  attacks  the  enemy  on  the 
30th  of  July,  439;  decides  with  Gen.  Hart- 
ranft to  withdraw  the  troops  from  the 
crater,  449 ;  examined  before  court  of  in- 
quiry, 456;  attacks  at  Poplar  Spring 
Church,  467;  holds  the  left  of  the  Ninth 
Corps,  471;  attacks  Petersburg,  482 ,  com- 
mands division,  484,  522 ;  wins  his  brevet, 
4S4  ■ 

G  r  i  s  w  o  1  d,  Charles  E.,  Col.,  killed  in  the 
Wilderness;  375;  commands  brigade,  523. 

Haines,  Capt.,  in  command  of  battery  at 
Antietam,  140. 

Hall,  H.  Seymour,  Lieut.  Col.,  wounded  at 
the  mine,  445. 

Hall,  Theron  E  .  asst.  quartermaster,  519. 

Hal  leek,  H.  W.,  Gen  general  in  chief, 
101;  visits  McCIellan,  102, 104;  orders  with- 
drawal from  Peninsula,  105;  is  not  on 
friendly  terms  with  McCIellan,  118 ;  disap- 
proves the  evacuation  of  Harper's  Ferry, 
122;  becomes  impatient  with  McCIellan, 
16S;  visits  Burnside  at  Warreuton,  183; 
makes  untrue  assertions  respecting  Burn- 
side's  plan,  184;  testimony  of,  before  Com- 
mittee on  Conduct  of  War,  185;  Wood- 
bury's statement  respecting,  in  regard  to 
pontons,  191,  194,  195;  despatch  to  Burn- 
side respecting  Woodbury,  199;  letter  of 
Burnside  to,  234;  correspondence  of  Burn- 
side with,  239;  orders  Ninth  Corps  to 
Grant.  279;  unwittingly  causes  false  secu- 
rity to  the  people  of  Kentucky,  292 ;  orders 
Morgan's  imprisonment,  299;  orders  the 
occupation  of  the  upper  Holston,  312; 
suggests  the  re-enforcement  of  Rosecrans, 
315;  correspondence  with  Burnside,  318; 
curtness  of,  320 ;  unacquaintance  of,  with 
practical  warfare,  321;  indecision  of,  321; 
is  relieved  by  Grant,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
all,  364. 

Hamblin,  Col.,  brigade  of,  re-enforces 
Parke,  485- 

Hamilton's  Crossing,  enemy's  line 
at,  to  be  attacked,  212 ;  Franklin  ordered 
to  seize,  215 ;  the  key  to  rebel  position,  229. 

Hampton  Roads,  North  Carolina  Ex- 
pedition in,  22;  rebel  steamer  Merrimao 
in,  53 ;  Mr.  Lincoln  receives  Peace  Commis- 
sioners at,  473. 

Hancock,  W.  S.,  Gen.,  commands  a  divis- 
ion in  Army  of  the  Potomac,  210 ;  in  the 
battle  of  Fredericksburg,  226 ;  in  the  battle 
of  the  Wilderness,  373;  saved  by  Col.  Grif- 
fin, 3S4;  to  move  and  fight  the  enemy 
wherever  he  might  find  him,  389 ;  move- 
ment of  interfered  with  by  Bwell,389;  at 
MLlford  Station,  390;  assisted  by  Potter  at 
the  North  Anna.  392;  at  Cold  Harbor,  397; 
in  front  of  Petersburg,  406 ;  makes  a  feigned 
attaok  at  Deep  Bottom,  434;  orders  to,  on 
the    day    of  the    mine's   explosion,    434, 


542 


GENERAL,   INDEX. 


446;  President  of  court  of  inquiry,  451, 
452;   movement  of,  to  Hatcher's  run,  469. 

Hanover  Town,  troops  crossed  Pamun- 
key  at,  395. 

H  a  r  d  i  e.  Gen.,  aide  to  Burnside,  215. 

Harland,  Edward.  Col.,  commands  brig- 
ade at  Antietam,  148,  522;  at  Fredericks- 
burg. 225;  commands  division,  521. 

H  a  r  1  e  y,  Capt.  of  58th  Mass. ,  killed,  493 

Harper's  Ferry,  captured  by  Jackson, 
121. 

H  arriman,  Samuel,  Col.,  commands  brig- 
ade, 472,  524;  receives  Peace  Commission- 
ers, 473;  repulses  attack  on  Fort  Stedman, 
478;  in  assault  on  Petersburg,  483. 

H  a  r  r  i  m  a  n,  "Walter,  Col.,  commands  brig- 
ade, 524. 

Harris,  Capt,.  -writes  account  of  march, 
307 ;  distinguishes  himself  and  is  brevctted, 
495;  ordnance  officer.  516 

Harris,  Charles,  Master's  Mate,  killed  off 
Eoanoke,  38. 

Harris,  Dr.,  notice  of,  498 ;  medical  direc- 
tor, 516, 

Harrison's  Landing,  Army  of  the 
Potomac  at,  92. 

Hartranft,  J.  F.,  Col.  of  51st  Pennsylva- 
nia makes  reconnaissance,  78;  leads  attack 
on  Antietam  bridge,  145 ;  has  the  advance 
in  march  to  Campbell's,  335;  at  the  battle 
of  Campbell's  station,  336;  at  Knoxville, 
343;  makes  a  gallant  assault,  846;  in  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness,  374 ;  re-enforces 
Christ,  376;  at  Spottsylvania.  385;  wins  his 
promotion,  386n;  wins  additional  distinc- 
tion, 398;  brigade  of,  repulsed  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  410;  great  loss  of  brigade,  411; 
attack  ot.  on  the  18th  of  June,  1864,  412: 
skillful  conduct  of,  in  the  crater,  449;  ex- 
amined before  court  of  inquiry,  454;  in 
command  of  division,  472,  522;  sup]iorts 
(Jon.  Humphreys  in  movement  upon 
Yaughan  road.  473;  posted  in  reserve  in  the 
rear  of  line,  476;  repulses  attack  of  enemy 
upon  fort  Stedman,  478;  remarkable 
promptitude  and  skill  of,  479 :  wins  his  bre- 
vet, 479;  in  attack  on  Petersburg.  482,  483; 
assigned  to  duty  in  Kentucky,  488;  mus- 
tered out  and  elected  Auditor  General  of 
Penn.,489;  commands  brigade,  522. 

H  a  r  t  s  u  f  f,  twenty-third  army  corps  organ- 
ized under  command  of.  278;  succeeds 
Willcox  in  command  in  Kentucky.  291; 
marches  upon  Fast  Tennessee,  305 ;  re-en- 
forces Col.  Foster  in  East  Tennessee,  313. 

Hascall,  Gen.,  commands  a  division  in 
East  Tennessee,  313;  at  Knoxville,  343;  at 
fort  Sanders,  351. 

Haskell,  fort,  attacked,  477;  enemy  re- 
pulsed from,  478. 

Hastings,  Capt.  of  the  36th  Massachu- 
setts, killed,  493. 

Hatch,  Gen.  in  command  of  division  at 
South  Mountain,  and  wounded,  126. 

Hatteras  Cape,  the  dread  of  mariners, 
24. 

Hatteras  Ihlet,  20 ;  storm  in,  24 ;  descrip- 
tion of,  25. 

Hatteras  Island,  Gen.  Williams  in  com- 
mand of,  32. 

Hawkins,  B.  C,  Col.,  in  command  of  9th 
New  York,  36 ;  commands  brigade  at  battle 
of  Camden,  81 ;  charges  the  enemy  and  is 


wounded,  82;  commands  at  Roanoke,  85; 
transmits  information  of  fall  of  Eichmond, 
92;  in  command  of  division,  148,  521;  in 
command  of  brigade,  171,522;  at  Frede- 
ricksburg, 225. 

Hayes,  fort,  held  by  Ninth  Corps,  471. 

Hazard,  S.  F.,  commander  of  army  divis- 
ion of  fleet,  22 ;  opens  battle  of  Eoanoke 
Island,  37. 

Heintzelman,  Col.,  commands  division 
at  first  Bull  Eun.  15, 16;  commands  corps 
at  second  Bull  Eun,  111,  112. 

Hell,  fort,  a  sobriquet  for  fort  Sedgwick, 
471 ;  a  hot  place,  474. 

Henry.  Joseph  J.,  Capt.,  killed  at  Eoan- 
oke Island,  46. 

H  e  n  s  h  a  w,  Capt.  commands  battery  in  East 
Tennessee,  333;  at  Knoxville,  343  n. 

H  e  t  h,  Henry,  at  West  Point  with  Burn- 
side,  6. 

Hicks,  Brevet  Major,  affidavit  of,  exoner- 
ating Ferrero,  458. 

Hill,  A.  P  ,  at  West  Point  with  Burnside, 
6;  Gen  ,  marches  his  light  division  from 
Harper's  Ferry,  146 ;  timely  arrival  of,  in 
aid  of  Lee,  149 ;  at  Fredericksburg,  219 ; 
line  of  pierced  by  Meade,  220;  makes  a 
charge  upon  our  troops  at  Weldon  rail- 
road, 465;  killed  in  front  of  Petersburg,  484. 

Hill,  B.  C.  Gen.,  in  command  of  rebel 
forces  at  Eoanoke  Island.  35 

Hill.  D.  H.  Gen.,  at  South  Mountain,  121; 
at  Antietam,  136;  at  Fredericksburg,  219. 

Hinks  Gen,  commands  a  colored  division, 
in  eighteenth  corps,  406. 

History,  uecessarilv  imperfect,  490;  un- 
written, 491. 

Hobson  Gen.,  pursues  Morgan,  294,296; 
commended  299. 

Hodges,  Lieut.  Col.,  of  69th  Mass.,  killed 
493. 

Holmes,  ('apt.  and  Lieut.,  36th  Mass., 
killed,  493. 

Holmes,  AV  W.,  Dr.,  medical  director 
with  Cox,  162.  516. 

Hood  Gen.,  commands  rebel  division  at 
Antietam,  186. 

Hooker,  Joseph  Gen.,  lights  Ewell  at 
Prist!  w.  1(9;  in  the  battle  of  <  haniilly, 
113;  at  South  Mountain,  12:';  cresses  An- 
tietam Creek.  185;  tights  Jackson.  137;  is 
wounded,  139;  commands  grand  division 
in  Army  of  the  Potomac,  187;  opinion  of 
respecting  failure  of  pontons,  196;  held 
in  reserve  at  Fredericksburg,  214 ;  crosses 
Eappahannock.  227;  in  command  of  Army 
of  the  Potomac  214:  deieated  at  Chancel-- 
lorsville,  246;  superseded  by  Meade.  282; 
reenforces  Eosecrans,  327;  commands  de- 
partment of  the  East,  48S 

Hopkins,  A .  Lieut.,  commands  gunboat, 
55  n. 

H  o  s  k  i  n  s,  Col.  commands  brigade  in  East 
Tennessee,  318.  325. 

Hotchkiss,  W.  J.,  master's  mate,  com- 
mands gunboat,  23  n. 

Howard,  Col.,  commands  marine  artil- 
lery. 22.  533;  at  battle  of  Camden.  81. 

Howard  Fort,  occupied  by  Ninth  Corps, 
475. 

Howard,  O  O  Gen  ,  commands  division 
at  Fredericksburg,  220:  commands  corps 
in  East  Tennessee,  352. 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


543 


Howe  Chas.,  Aide  de  Camp,  518. 

Howe,  Gen.  commands  a  division  at  Fred- 
ericksburg, 210,  222. 

Howe,  Lieut.  36th  Mass. ,  killed,  493. 

Humphrey,  W  Ool  ,  in  command  of  2d 
Mich,  in  Mississippi,  284,  531;  guards  rear, 
and  repels  enemy  near  Campbell's ,  335 ;  at 
the  siege  of  Knoxville,  343  n. ;  at  Spottsyl- 
vania,  385:  commands  brigade,  442,  522; 
brevetted  Brigadier  General,  474. 

Humphreys,  Gen.,  commands  division, 
210,  226;  moves  towards  Hatcher's  run, 
473. 

Hunt,  W  Capt.,  commands  gunboat  22  n. 

Hunter,  David  Col.,  commands  division 
at  Bull  Run,  15,  16. 

Hunter,  R.  M.  T  ,  a  peace  commissioner, 
473. 

Hunting,   Chaplain,  notice  of,  504. 

Hutchins,  R.A.  Capt. ,  wounded,  495 ;  a 
brave  and  good  officer,  495;  A.  A.  G.,  514. 

Hutton,  Chas.  G.  Capt.,  arrests  Vallan- 
digham,  268,  A.D.C.,518. 

Illinois,  company  of  dragoons,  in  Ros- 
ter, 531. 

Illinois  112th,  in  East  Tennessee,  340. 

In  front  of  Petersburg,  405. 

Indiana,  3d  cavalry,  in  Roster,  531. 

Indiana,   71st  infantry,  in  Roster,  531. 

Indiana,   invaded  by  Morgan,  295. 

Indiana  troops  in  East  Tennessee,  317  n., 
343  n. 

In  gal  Is,  Rufus  Gen.,  in  command  of 
Quartermaster's  department,  211. 

Inquiry  asd  Investigation,  451. 

Irwin  Col.,  commands  brigade  at  Antie- 
tam,  140. 

Ives,  Robert  H.  jun.,  Lieut.,  Aide  de 
Camp  to  Gen.  Rodman,  148 ;  sketch  of,  152. 

Ives,  Thomas  T.  Capt,  in  command  of  gun- 
boat 22  n.;  in  command  of  Picket,  23;  dis- 
tinguished service  of,  68 ;  sketch  of,  494. 

Jackson,  Miss.,  attacked  and  occupied,  286. 

Jackson,  T.  J.  Gen.,  at  West  Point,  6; 
commanding  a  brigade  at  Bull  Run,  16 ; 
sobriquet  of  'Stonewall'  given  to,  17; 
discomfits  Banks,  89;  seems  ubiquitous, 
106;  marches  upon  Manassas  Junction, 
109;  retreats  to  Centreville,  110;  fights  at 
Sudley  Springs,  111;  attacks  and  carries 
Harper's  Ferry,  121;  commands  the  rebel 
left  at  Antietam,  136;  near  Chester's  Gap, 
169 ;  commands  the  rebel  right  at  Freder- 
icksburg, 219;  is  attacked  by  Meade,  220; 
threatens  to  attack  Franklin,  222 ;  rapture 
oi  battle  of,  230. 

James  Chaplain,   notice  of,  505. 

James  River,  opened  to  Drury's  Bluff, 
88 ;  the  army  crosses,  408. 

James  River,  To  the,  387- 

Jealousy,  freedom  irom  in  North  Caro- 
lina, 96 ;  prevalence  of  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  102. 

Jeffers,  W  N.,  Lieut.,  commands  gun- 
boat, 22  n. 

Jenkins  Gen.,  commands  rebel  brigade 
at  Antietam,  143 

John  Morgan's  Raid,  291. 

Johnson  Andrew,  condemns  Vallandig- 
ham's  action,  270  n. ;  accepts  Burnside's 
resignation,  463. 

Johnson,  Bushrod  Gen.,  supports  rebel 
attack  on  Fort  Stedman,  476. 


Johnson  Capt.  of  the  58th  Massachu- 
setts killed,  493. 

Johnson  Gen.,  captured  at  Spottsylva- 
nia,  383.  3 

Johnston,  Joseph  E.  Gen.,  at  battle  of 
Bull  Run,  15;  in  command  in  Mississippi, 
281 ;  retires  to  Jackson,  282. 

Jones,  J.  R.  Gen.,  commands  rebel  divis- 
ion at  Antietam,  136. 

Jones,  Sam.  Gen.,  threatens  Burnside's 
left,  in  East  Tennessee,  313. 

Judah,  Gen.  pursues  Morgan,  294;  fights 
Morgan  at  Chester,  297. 

Judd,  H.  B.  Capt.,  in  command  in  New 
Mexico,  7. 

Judge,  Frank  Serg't,  heroic  conduct  of, 
at  Fort  Sanders,  348. 

Judges   Advocate,    520. 

Kanawha  Division  of  Ninth  Corps, 
123;  at  South  Mountain,  124;  at  Antietam, 
141;  leaves  the  Corps  for  W  Virginia, 
160. 

Kautz,  Gen.,  attacks  Petersburg,  405. 

Kearny,  Philip,  Gen.,  at  second  Bull 
Run,  111;  killed  at  Chantilly,  113. 

Kelton.  Capt.  21st  Mass.,  killed,  493. 

Kent,  Jacob  F.,  assistant  Inspector  Gene- 
ral, 515. 

Kentucky  divided  into  districts,  264; 
Ninth  Corps  operates  in,  263,  277 ;  effect  of 
general  order  No.  38  in,  266 ;  tempting  to 
rebels,  277;  Ninth  Corps  leaves,  279,  re- 
turns to,  287;  troops  of,  in  Ohio,297;  Corps 
leaves  for  E.  Tennessee,  317. 

Kentuc kv,  1st,  11th,  12th  and  14th  cav- 
alry, in  East  Tennessee,  339,  340 ;  32d  in- 
fantry in  E.  Tennessee,  354. 

Keyes,  E  D.,  at  West  Point,  6;  in  com- 
mand of  corps,  106. 

King,  Gen.,  in  command  of  a  division  in 
McDowell's  Corps.  105;  at  Bull  Run,  111: 

Kingsbury,  H.  W,  Col.,  skirmishers  of, 
at  Antietam,  142,  143;  killed,  145. 

Kingston,  Tenn.,  our  troops  occupy,  307 ; 
Grant  wishes  to  concentrate  at,  331;  fight 
near,  346. 

K  i  n  s  t  o  n,  Branch  retreats  to,  62,  85. 

Kittoctan  Mountains,  a  defence  for  Lee, 
119;  Lee  crosses,  121. 

Knight,  George  C,  Capt.  1st  Mich.  Sharp- 
shooters, killed,  413. 

Knoxville,  Tenn.,  operations  against, 
contemplated,  31,86;  occupied,  307;  Col. 
Foster  enters,  309 ;  Burnside  welcomed  at, 
309 ;  troops  concentrated  at,  316 ;  Burnside 
desirous  of  holding,  324;  Parke  in  com- 
mand of,  332 ;  description  of,  342 ;  besieged 
by  Longstreet,  342 ;  the  siege  of,  raised,  352 ; 
Sherman  ■  at,  352 ;  Burnside  leaves,  357  ; 
threatened  by  Longstreet  again,  358. 

KnoxvillE,  the  Siege  of,  327. 

K  o  n  k  1  e '  s  battery  at  Knoxville,  343n. 

Lacy  House  described  205;  Sumner's 
headquarters  at,  216,  226. 

Lake,  J.  C  ,  Major,  wounded  in  crater,  445. 

Lake.  James,  Master's  Mate,  commands 
gun-boat,  22n. 

Lane's  brigade  broken  by  Meade,  220. 

L  a  r  n  e  d,  Daniel  R.,  obligations  to,  Preface  ; 
a  member  of  staff  and  private  secretary, 
261n,  514.  ^     ^ 

Latham,  commands  rebel  battery  at  Fred- 
ericksburg, 219. 


544 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


L  a  w  to  n,  commands  rebel  brigade  at  Anti- 
etam,  136,  151. 

Leas  ure,  Col.,  commands  division  382; 
commands  brigade,  523. 

Leavitt,  H.  H.  Hon  ,  Judge  of  Districl 
Court  in  Ohio,  270 ;  decides  against  grant- 
ing habeas  corpus  for  YaUandigham,  272. 

L  e  d  1  i  e,  J.  H.,  Gen.,  commands  brigade  at 
the  North  Anna,  392, 523 ;  commands  divis- 
ion, 401,  521 ,  selected  to  lead  attack  on  Pe- 
tersburg, 433;  ordered  to  Cemetery  Hill, 
434 ;  sends  his  troops  forward,  437 ;  does  not 
go  himself,  43S ;  is  censured  by  Court  of  In- 
quiry, 453 ;  testimony  respecting,  457 ;  de- 
fends himself,  458;  is  relieved,  464. 

Lee,  Robert  E.,  Gen.,  in  command  of  rebel 
army  of  Northern  Virginia,  defeats  31c- 
Clellan,  92;  advances  northward,  103; 
moves  against  Pope,  106 ;  intent  upon  get- 
ting near  Washington,  113;  invades  Mary- 
laud,  119;  is  not  cordially  received,  120, 
retires  towards  Antietam  Creek,  121;  at 
Autietam,  133 ;  retires  across  the  Potomac, 
157;  is  not  highly  successful  in  Maryland, 
15S ;  moves  to  Fredericksburg,  189 ;  his  po- 
sition in  rear  of  Fredericksburg,  201,  20S; 
prepares  to  defend,  210 ;  declines  to  attack, 
232;  is  defeated  at  Gettysburg,  282 ;  moves 
from  the  Rappahannock,  291;  sends  Long- 
street  west,  314;  attacks  Grant  in  the  'Wil- 
derness, 372;  is  turned,  376;  is  attacked  at 
Spottsylvania,  378.  384;  at  the  North 
Anna,  392;  at  Cold  Harbor.  397;  is  obsti- 
nate, 401 ;  telegraphs  to  Davis  the  loss  of 
Petersburg,  485  ;  surrenders  to  Grant, 
486. 

Lemert,  Wilson  C,  commands  brigade, 
523. 

Letterman,  Dr.,  opinion  of,  respecting 
skulkers,  228n. 

Lewis,  Major,  killed,  493. 

Lincoln',  Abraham,  Burnside  not  a  sup- 
porter of,  at  iirst,  12;  at  Fortress  Monroe, 
88;  is  well  disposed  toward  MeC'lellan,  US; 
congratulates  MeC'lellan  for  Burnside's 
victory,  132;  issues  Emancipation  Procla- 
mation, 159;  writes  to  JleClellan,  105;  his 
letter  noticed,  177,  183.  1S5;  assents  to 
Burnside's  plan,  1S4;  his  addrous  to  the 
army,  233;  stops  Burnside's  movement,  238 ; 
writes  to  Buruside,  242;  interview  with 
Burnside,  246;  commutes  sentence  against 
YaUandigham,  273;  telegraphs  thanks  to 
Burnside,  312;  orders  Burnside  to  Rose- 
crans,  316;  issues  Proclamation  of  Thanks- 
giving for  deliverance  of  E  Tenn  ,  357; 
reviews  N  inth  Corps,  30S;  receives  Peace 
Commissioners,  473:  approves  ilartranft, 
479;  assassination  of,  487. 

L  o  n  g  s  t  r  e  e  t,  Gen. ,  commands  corps  in 
rebel  army,  111;  re-enforces  Hill  at  South 
Mountain,  125  ;  at  Antietam,  136  ;  at 
Fredericksburg,  198,  219,  256;  sent  West 
by  Lee,  314;  detached  to  attack  Burn- 
side, 328;  is  drawn  away  from  Bragg, 
331;  crosses  the  Tennessee,  332;  lights  at 
Lenoir's,  333;  and  Campbell's,  336:  be- 
sieges Knoxville,  342 ;  attacks  fort  Sanders, 
34S ;  raises  the  siege,  352 ;  retreats,  353 ;  win- 
ters in  East  Tennessee,  358;  re-joins  Lee, 
354;  attacks  Burnside  in  the  Wilderness, 
373;  is  wounded,  375 ;  commands  corps  at 
Cold  Harbor,  398. 


L  o  r  i  n  g  Chas.  G.,  assistant  quartermaster 
in  N.C.  Expedition,  21;  promoted  to  Lieut. 
Col.,  inspector  general,  104,  515;  selects 
position  for  troops  at  Campbell's  station, 
335,  3:6 ;  with  Ferrero  near  the  mine,  442 ; 
deposes  respecting  Ferrero,  45S;  testimo- 
ny of  before  committee,  460 ;  distinguishes 
himself  and  is  brevetted,  495- 

Los  Y  e  g  a  s,  Burnside  fights  with  Indians 
near,  7. 

Loudon,  Ninth  Corps  and  other  troops 
at,  326;  retreat  from,  332. 

Lydig,  Philip  31.,  a  member  of  military 
commission,  269;  assistant  adjutant\gen- 
eral,  514. 

Lynch,  W.  F.  Capt.,  commands  rebel  fleet 
m  Croatan  Sound,  37;  retreats  to  Eliza- 
beth City,  47. 

Macon,  fort,  to  be  reduced,  69 ;  description 
of,  71;  is  invested,  72;  bombarded,  ;  sur- 
renders, 74. 

M  a  g  g  i,  Col.,  commands  21st  3Iass.,  41 ;  re- 
signs, 60. 

Ma  ho  ne,  Gen.,  attacks  our  troops  at  Wel- 
don  li.  K.,  465. 

Maine  gives  Burnside  a  public  reception, 
365. 

Maine.  31st,  before  Petersburg,  409 ;  in  Pos- 
ter, 525. 

Maine,  32d,  before  Petersburg,  409 ;  in  Pes- 
ter, 525. 

31  ai  n  e,  2d  battery,  in  Roster,  525. 

Maine.  7th  battery,  in  Poster.  525. 

31  al  1  a  m,  Chas,  E.,  assistant  adjutant  gen- 
eral, 514. 

Manassas,  rebel  troops  at,  17 ;  evacuated, 
69;  Jackson  at,  109,110;  Pope  at.  111. 

3Iansfield,  J.  K.  F.,  Gen,  commands 
12th  Corps  at  Antietam,  137;  is  killed,  138; 
notice  ot,  151. 

Marshall,  E.  G.,  Col.,  commands  provis- 
ional brigade,  375,  376;  commands  brigade 
in  the  crater,  438;  is  captured,  449;  com- 
mands brigade,  523. 

Ma  rye's  Heights  fortified  by  Lee,  202; 
stormed,  but  not  carried,  226. 

JlARYLAND,  THE   CAMPAIGN  IX,  118. 

Maryland,  the  enemy  in,  119;  Lee's  cam- 
paign in,  fruitless,  158. 

Maryland,  2d,  in  North  Corolina,  84;  at 
second  Bull  Kirn,  112;  at  South  Mountain, 
125;  at  Antietam,  144;  before  Petersburg, 
409;  in  Roster,  530. 

Maryland,   3d,  veterans  in  Roster,  530. 

Massachusetts  Legislature  passes  vote 
of  thanks,  50;  gives  Burnside  a  public  re- 
ception, 365. 

Massachusetts.  6th  and  8th,  at  Wash- 
ington, 14. 

Massachusetts,  17th,  arrives  at  New- 
bern,  84;  in  Roster,  533. 

ilassachusetts,  19th  and  20th,  at  Fred- 
ericksburg, 213. 

3Iassachusetts,  21st,  in  N.  0  expedi- 
tion, 21;  at  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island, 
40.  41,  42;  at  battle  of  Newbern.  5S,  59,  60; 
its  losses,  65;  at  battle  of  Camden,  80,  81; 
at  second  Bull  Run,  112;  at  Antietam.  145; 
in  Kentucky,  263 ;  the  dead  of,  493;  in  Pos- 
ter, 525. 

Massachusetts,  23d.  in  N.  C.  expedi- 
tion, 21 ;  at  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island, 
42 ;  at  battle  of  Newbern,  58 ;  in  Roster,  533. 


GEXERAL    INDEX. 


.545 


Massachusetts,  24th,  in  X.  C.  expedi- 
tion, 21;  at  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island, 
44;  at  battle   of  Xewbern.  55.  57.  58;   its 
losses.  65;  goes  to  "Washington,  X.  C,  TS; 
in  Roster,  533. 
Massachusetts,  25th,  in  X.  C    expedi- 
tion, 21;  at.  battle  of  Roanoke  Island.  40; 
at  battle  of  Xewbern.  57;  in  Roster,  533. 
Massachusetts,  27th .  in  X .  C .  expedi- 
tion, 21;  at  battle  of  Roanoke  Island.  42; 
at  battle  of  Xewbern,  58:  in  Roster.  533. 
Massachusetts.  2Sth.  in  Roster.  526. 
Massachusetts.  29th.  at  fort  Sanders, 
349,  351;  at  fort  Steduian,  47S ;    the  dead 
of,  493;  in  Roster,  526. 
Massachusetts.  35th,  distinguished  at 
South  Mountain,  125:  at  Antietam,  145;  in 
Mississippi,  2S3;  the  dead  of,  493;  in  Ros- 
ter. 526. 
Massachusetts.  36th,    in    Mississippi, 
2S2n;  in  Virginia.  336 ;  before  Petersburg,  j 
409 ;  in  Roster,  523. 
Massachusetts.  58th,  in  the  Wilderness, 
37o;  in  the  crater,  449;  the  dead  of,  493:  in  j 
Roster,  526. 
Massachusetts.     57th,   before   Peters- 
burg. 474;   at  fort  Stedman.  477;  the  dead 
of,  493;  in  Roster.  525. 
Massachusetts,    58th.    before   Peters- 
burg, 409;  the  dead  of.  4t>3;  in  Roster.  525. 
Massachusetts.  59th,  at  fort  Stedman,  ! 
477;  the  dead  of.  493;  in  Roster.  .525.  ! 

Massachusetts.  8th  batterv.171 ;  in  Ros- 
ter, 528. 
Massachusetts.  11th  battery,  in  Roster, 

526. 
Massachusetts.  14th  battery,  in  Roster, 

525. 
Massachusetts      Yankees,      prejudice 

against,  overcome,  283. 
Mathews.  Joseph  A.,  commands  brigade, 

524. 
Mauran,  E.  C,  Gen.,  arrives  at  Xewbern. 

91. 
McCalmont,  Alfred  B,  Col.,  commands 

brigade.  524. 
MeClellan,  Geo.  B.,  at  West  Point,  6; 
commands  Army  of  the  Potomac.  2o :  poli- 
cy of,  inactive.  21;  general  in  chief.  29: 
undertakes  campaign  on  the  Peninsula.  31 ; 
meets  with  difficulties.  S  5.  S7 ;  is  visited  by 
Burnside.  90;  is  defeated,  92;  is  re-enforced 
by  Burnside,  94:  is  not  on  good  terms  with 
Halleck,  101;  is  visited  by  Burnside  and 
Halleck.  104;  leaves  Peninsula  and  goes  to 
Alexandria,  106;  begins  campaign  in  Ma- 
ryland. US:  enters  Frederick,  121:  at  South 
Mountain  127;  his  opinion  of  Reno,  131; 
marches  to  Antietam  creek.  133;  fights  the 
battle  of  Antietam.  137:  impatient,  144: 
loses  public  confidence  for  his  conduct  at 
Antietam,  157 :  Stuart  raids  around,  163 ;  is 
ordered  to  cross  the  Potomac.  164 ;  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's letter  to.  165;  sends  his  army  across 
the  river,  168 ;  is  relieved  from  command, 
169;  his  slow  policy  not  commended,  176; 
his  disingenuousness,  177n;  partizanship 
for,  in  Army  of  the  Potomac,  245. 
M  c  0  o  o  k,  R.  S..  JLieut.,  commands  battery, 

55.  58. 
MeOrea.  Lieut.,  commands  flotilla,  205. 
McCullom    Capt.,  killed,  493.  [2Sn. 

McDiarmid,  Master,  commands  gunboat, 

TO 


McDonald,  John  E. ,  Dr.,  sketch  of,  560 : 
medical  director,  515. 

McDowell,  commands  armv  at  Washing- 
ton, 15;  is  defeated  at  Biill  Ruu,  17; 
marches  against  Jackson,  102;  is  joined  by 
Reno,  107;"  fights  at  Bull  Ruu,  the  second 
time,  110. 

McFarland,  Capt.,  5Sth  Mass..  killed. 493. 

Mcintosh,  Capt.,  commands  rebel  batterv 
at  Fredericksburg.  219. 

Mc  Knight,  Charles  A.,  Capt.,  A.D.  C, 
518. 

McLaughlin,  X.  B  ,  Col.,  commands 
brigade  at  Hatcher's  run,  470,  524:  is  bre- 
vetted.474:  is  captured  at  fort  Stedman, 

McLaws,  Gen.,  commands  rebel  division 
at  Antietam,  136;  at  Fredericksburg,  256; 
before  Knoxville,  340,  351 
McMullen,  Capt.,  commands  battery  in 

the  Xinth  Corps,  142,  530. 
Meade,  Geo.  u  ,  Gen.,  opens  fight  at  Anti- 
etam,  137;    commands   corps,  139;    com- 
mands  division   at   Fredericksburg,   210: 
makes    slow   advance,  218:    charges   gal- 
lantly,   219;    is    not    supported.  220,    221; 
opinion  of,  respecting  battle.  229 :  conver- 
sation   between,   and  Lee,  231  n  ;    super- 
sedes Hooker.  2S2 :  Burnside  waives  ranks 
in  favor  of,  394;  attacks  Petersburg,  408; 
unfavorable  to  mine,  but  finally  sanctions 
it.  422 :  is  punctilious  in  regard  to  rank, 
425;  disapproves  Burnside's  plan  of  attack, 
427 ;  does  not  remember  correctly,  431 ;  is 
petulant.  43i,  and  indignant.  444:  knows 
nothing  about  the  enemy.  447;  wishes  to 
try  Burnside,  451;  his  testimony  inconsis- 
tent, 455;  censured  by  committee,  461. 
Medical   D  irect  ors.  497,  515. 
Meigs,  Gen  ,  visits  Burnside.  183;  his  opin- 
ion respecting  pontons,  192n  ;  spoken  of  by 
Hooker,  196. 
M  e  i  n  i  s.  Dr.,  died  at  Roanoke  Island,  47. 
Merrimac  comes  out  from  Xorfolk,  53. 
Michigan.   2d.  in  Mississippi.  284,  2S5:  in 
l      Virginia,  385.  386:  at  fort  stedman.  177: 
the  dead  of,  492.  in  Roster,  531. 
Michigan,  3d.  in  East  Tennessee.  40. 
Michigan,    7th,  at  Fredericksburg.  213. 
Michigan,  8th.  in  the  Wilderness.  375 ;  in 

Roster,  531. 
Michigan,  15th.  in  Roster,  531. 
Mich  is  an,  17th.  distinguished  at  South 
Mountain,  125:  the  dead  of,  493;  in  Roster. 
531. 
!  Michigan,  20th.  in  Mississippi.  259:  at  fort 
Sanders,  349;  before  Petersburg.  413;  the 
■      dead  of.  493 ;  in  Roster.  531. 
j  Michigan.  23d,  near  Loudon,  332. 
i  Michigan,  25th,  in  Kentucky.  293. 
'  Michigan,  27th,  in  Mississippi.  282n :  in 
1      East  Tennessee.  359.  the  dead  of,  493;  in 
I      Roster.  531. 

'Michigan,  11th  battery,  in  East  Tennes- 
I      see,  354. 
Michigan,  8th  cavalry,  charges  at  Ches- 
I      *er.  297 
Michigan,  9th  cavalry,  charges  at  Uies- 
1     ter.  297.  .   . 

Michigan,    1st  sharpshooters  in  Virginia, 
I     413:    lose   officers,  413:    enter  Petersburg 
and  raise  the  flag  on  court  house,  486;  in 
Roster,  531. 


516 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


Middletown,  Eeno  at,  122. 

Miles.  Col.,  in eoniinaud at  Harper';  Ferry. 
121;    surrenders.  122. 

Mine,  a,  projected  by  Lieut  Col.  Fleas-ants. 
421:  the  construction  of.  commenced.  422: 
account  if,  by  Col.  Pleasants,  428;  unpro- 
vided with  proper  fuses.  436;  exploded, 
437;  produces  an  immense  crater,  437. 

MlXE.  THE.    415. 

Minnesota,  frigate,  disabled  by  ilerri- 
tuac.  5-3. 

Minty.  Col.,  commands  cavalry  in  Ten- 
nessee. 311. 

Mississippi.  Camfaisx  ix.  279. 

Mississippi  brigade  opposes  building 
bridges  at  Fredericksburg,  212.  213. 

M  i  s  s  i  s  s  i  pi  p  i,  N  inth  Corps  arrives  in,  '250, 
departs  from,  2S7 

Mississippi.  17th.  annihilated  in  attack 
on  fort  Saiuprs.  349n:  13th.  17rh,  21st.  22 d 
and  23d  attack  fort  Sanders.  351- 

Mix,  J.  H  ,  Colonel  of  3d  X.  Y.  cavalry.  S4; 
is  active  in  his  operations,  f  >.  f9. 

Monitor  punishes  Merrimae.  53. 

Monroe,  John  A.,  chief  of  artillery.  52.5. 

Moody.  Major,  killed.  493. 

Moor,  Augustus.  Col.,  taken  prisoner.  121: 
commands  brigade,  522. 

Moore.  Orlando  H..  Col.,  defeats  Morgan 
at  TebtV  Bend,  293. 

Morehead  City  to  be  occupied,  69 ;  occu- 
pied. 71.  ! 

Morgan's  Johx,  Raid.  291. 

Morgan  crosses  the  Cumberland,  293:  at- 
tacks Moore  and  is  repulsed,  293;  attacks 
Lebanon.  294;  crosses  the  Ohio,  295;  is 
brought  to  bay  at  Chester.  293:  is  pursued 
through  southern  Ohio,  2vs ;  is  captured. 
299:  is  imprisoned  by  Halloek's  order. 29'. 

Morell.  den.,  commands  division  at  Anti- 
etam 153:  commands  on  upper  Potomac, 
2'. '5  ■ 

Morlev,  X.  B..  Capt..  commands  gunboat, 
22u.    ' 

Morris.  John  A. .  quartermaster,  519. 

Morris.  L.  O.  Unit.,  a  staff  officer,  05: 
commands  battery,  73.  533. 

Morrison,  David  Col.,  commands  brig- 
ade in  E.  Tennessee.  333,  523:  at  Kuoxville. 
343  n. 

Morton,   Governor  of  Indiana,  29-5. 

M  orto  n,  J.  St.  C.  Maj ..  displays  gallantry 
at  the  North  Anna.  392:  killed  before  Pe- 
tersburg. 415  :  sketch  of.  4F :  engineer.  51*3. 

Motley   Miss   marries  Capt.  Ives,  494. 

Mott  Colonel,  fights  enemv  near  Kings- 
ton, 340. 

Mott.  General,  commands  brigade  at  the 
North  Anna,  392;  testifies  before  Court  of 
Inquiry,  455. 

Mo  wry.  Lieut.,  deposes  respecting  Fer- 
rero,  459. 

M  u  h  1  e  u  b  u  r  g.  Lieut. .  commands  batterv 
in  Ninth  Corns.  142,  532.  '    i 

Murray  Lieut.,  commands  gunboat,  22  n. :  j 
goes  to  Eden  ton,  49. 

Nagle.  Jas.  Col.,  commands  brigade,  S4. 
171.223.522.  . 

Nag's  Head,  noticed,  34 ;  rebels  attempt  [ 
to  retreat  to,  44. 

Names,   grotesque,  of  rebel  troops,  33. 

Navy,  cooperates  with  Burnside,  22:  as- 
sists in  the  storm,  2d ;   attacks  Roanoke  | 


Island,  37:  makes  a  brilliant  fight  offEHza- 
beth  City,  45:  goes  to  Newbern,  5-5:  bom- 
bards Fi'rt  Mao. n.  74. 

Neill,  E.  M.  Maj.,  goes  to  Washington. 
179;  assistant  adjutant  general.  514 

New  Hampshire  2d.  at   Bull  Kim.   15. 

New  Hampshire  6th,  in  N.C  Expedi- 
tion. 22;  at  Hatteras  Island.  3-3 :  garrisons 
Eoanoke.  51:  a  port  ion  of  at  Elizabeth  City. 
53;  at  batt'.e  of  Camden.  50.  51.  at  second 
Bull  Bun,  112:  at  South  Mountain.  125:  at 
Antietam  bridge.  144:  in  Mississippi.  251: 
_ before  Petersburg.  459:  in  Foster."  525. 

New  Hampshire  9th.  notice  of,  preface, 
v.:  before  Petersburg,  i'.'d:  in  Hester.  525. 

New  H  amp  s  hire  "loth,  in  Kester.  525. 

New  Hampshire  11th.  is  distinguished 
at  Fredericksburg.  224:  before  Petersburg. 
409:  in  Roster.  525. 

New  Hampshire  loth,  in  Roster.   525. 

New  Jersey  9th,  in  N.  C.  Expedition. 
22;  two  officers  of.  drowned.  25;  men  of. 
at  Roanoke  Island.  39.  47:  at  Newborn.  53; 
a  portk  n  of.  at  Elizabeth  Citv.  SO:  iu  Ros- 
ter, "S3. 

New  Jersey  25th.  in  Roster,  52S. 

>ew  Jersey  27th  iii  Roster.  52S. 

New  Jersey  3d  cavalry,  j  ins  Ferreros. 
command.  419;  in  Roster.  "529. 

Mew   M  e  x  i  c  o.   Burnside  in.  9. 

New  Orleans,  Burnside  at.  11;  to  be 
captured  and  occupied.  31. 

New  York,  Burnside  at.  13:  Mayor  of  is- 
sues proclamation  i  f  c  ngratulation,  50. 

New   York   7th.  at  Washington.  14. 

N  ew  York  9th.  at  Hatteras  Island.  32: 
joins  iu  the  movement  upon  Reauoke.  So: 
at  Roanoke,  42:  makes  a  brilliant  charge. 
43:  garrisons  Roanoke.  51:  at  battle  of 
Camden,  5".  51:  at  Autietam,  145:  iu  Ros- 
ter, 527:  howitzers  of.  in  Foster.  -525. 

New  York  43th.  loses  its  commander, 
41S;  in  poster.  527. 

New  York  59th,  rowed  ponton  boats 
across  the  Rappahannock.  213. 

New  York  51st.  in  N  C.  F.xrodition,  22: 
charges  at  Roanoke.  43:  men  of.  plant  flag 
on  N.C  coast.  .56;  at  N  ewbem. 5S :  charges 
bridge  at  Antietam.  145:  at  Fredericks- 
burg. 223:  in  lo'Ster.  527. 

N  e  w  York  53d.  in  N.  C.  Expedition,  22; 
returns  to  l\nnapolis.  36. 

New   York  71st.  at  Bull  Run,  15. 

N  e  w  York  79:h.  Stevens  in  command  of. 
116:  in  Tort  Sanders.  345:  in  Roster.  527. 

New  York  59th  in  N.  C.  Expedition,  22: 
at  battle  of  Camden,  SO.  51;  crosses  the 
Rappahannock,  213:  in  Roster.  527. 

N  e  w  York  103d.  re-enforces  troops  in 
North  Carolina,  54:  in  Roster.  527. 

New   York  109th,  in  Roster.  525. 

New  York  16Sd.  at  Fredericksburg,  224. 

New  York  179th.  in  Rosier,  525. 

New  "i  ork  ISoth,  in  Roster.  52S. 

New  York  1st  artiUerv,  battery  I>,  in 
Roster.  525. 

New  Y  o  r  k  2d  artillery,  battery  L,  in 
Roster.  525. 

New   York  2d  battery,  in  Roster.  5-33. 

New  York  4th  battery  in  Roster.  525. 

N  e  w  York  6th  battery,  in  Roster.  525). 

N  e  w   York  19th  battery  in  Roster.  525. 

New  York  27th  batterv  in  Roster,  52S. 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


547 


New  York  34th  battery,  in  Roster,  528. 

New  York  3d  cavalry,  in  North  Carolina, 
84 ;  in  Roster,  533. 

New  York  5th  cavalry,  joins  Ferrero's 
command,  419;  in  Roster,  528. 

New  York  6th  cavalry,  in  Roster,  528. 

New  York  24th  cavalry,  losses  in  413 ;  in 
Roster,  528. 

New  York  14th  heavy  artillery  in  Fort 
Stedman,  477;  in  Roster,  528. 

New  York  mariife  artillery,  in  N.  C.  Ex- 
pedition, 23;  in  Roster,  533. 

New  York  2d  rifles,  before  Petersburg, 
409;  in  Roster,  528. 

New  York  rocket  battalion  in  Roster, 
533. 

Newebek  and  Fort  Macon,  51;  to  be 
reduced,  30. 

Newbern,  to  be  occupied,  30;  defences 
of,  54;  battle  of,  58;  is  occupied,  63;  con- 
siderations of  battle  of,  63;  fortified,  69; 
affairs  at  demand  supervision,  76;  troops 
from  go  to  Camden,  80,  return  to,  83; 
review  of  troops  at,  91;  Burnside  departs 
from,  94. 

Newport  News,  Ninth  Corps  at,  104, 
253. 

Newton,  John  Gen.,  commands  division 
at  Fredericksburg,  210,  219. 

Niles,   Capt,  killed,  493. 

Ninth  Coeps,  the,  fortunate  in  its  officers, 
3;  the  Organization  of,  101;  organiza- 
tion of,  ordered,  104;  at  Newport  News, 
104;  at  Fredericksburg,  105;  with  Pope, 
106;  Reno  commands,  107;  on  the  liappa- 
hannock,  108 ;  at  Manassas,  110 ;  in  second 
Bull  Run,  112;  at  Chantilly,  113;  at  South 
Mountain,  124 ;  gallant  advance  of,  127 ;  Cox 
commands,  132;  on  the  left  at  Autietam, 
133,  136;  ordered  to  cross  bridge  and  occu- 
py ground  beyond,  141 ;  carries  bridge  and 
nearly  reaches  Sharpsburg.  146;  pressed  by 
enemy,  147;  not  re-enforced  but  holds  its 
ground,  148;  losses  of,  152,  255;  in  Pleasant 
valley,160;  Willcox  commands,  162;  at  Wa- 
terloo, 169;  organization  of,  171;  divisions 
of,  211;  at  Fredericksburg,  223,  227;  Sedg- 
wick commands,  249;  Smith  commands, 
250;  Parke  commands,  251;  goes  west,  203; 
operates  in  Kentucky,  264-277 ;  leaves  Ken- 
tucky and  goes  to  Mississippi,  279;  operates 
in  Mississippi,  279-287;  in  rear  of  Grant's 
army,  281 ;  marches  to  Jackson,  282 ;  enters 
Jackson,  286;  returns  to  the.  Mississippi, 
complimented  by  Grant,  and  returns  to 
Kentucky,  287 ;  hardships  and  sufferings  of, 
288;  recuperation  in  Kentucky,  316;  mar- 
ches to  East  Tennessee,  317;  Potter  com- 
mands, 317;  at  Blue  Springs,  325;  at 
Knoxville,  328;  at  Lenoir's,  332;  at  Camp- 
bell's station.  334;  at  siege  of  Knoxville, 
343-351;  Willcox  commands,  358;  destitu- 
tion of,  359;  heroic  in  endurance  as  in 
action,  330;  Burnside  commands,  355;  to 
be  moved  East  and  recruited,  385 ;  goes  to 
Annapolis,  367;  is  re-organized,  367; 
marches  through  Washington,  368 ;  re-en- 
forces army  of  the  Potomac,  372 ;  in  the 
Wilderness,  373;  at  Spottsylvania,  376,  377, 
378,  383, 385 ;  losses  of,  379, 387, 403 ;  marches 
to  the  North  Anna,  389 ;  at  the  North  Anna, 
391 ;  incorporated  with  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, 394;  crosses  the  Pamunkey,  395;  at 


.  Cold  Harbor,  397,  400;  crosses  the  James, 
408;  before  Petersburg,  409-417;  enemy 
spiteful  against,  420 ;  in  attack  on  Peters- 
burg, July  30,  1864,  430-450;  Parke  com- 
mands, 4o4;  at  the  WeldonR.  R..  465;  at 
Poplar  Spring  church,  467;  at  Peebles 
farm,  468;  at  Hatcher's  run,  469,  470;  be- 
fore Petersburg,  471 ;  Peace  Commissioners 
pass  through  the  lines  of,  473;  attacked  by 
enemy  near  fort  Stedman,  476-478;  assaults 
Petersburg,  482-486 ;  enters  Petersburg,  486 ; 
guards  the  rear  of  pursuing  army,  486; 
sorrow  of,  for  murder  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  487; 
goes  to  Alexandria,  487;  is  reviewed  and 
disbanded,  488;  an  honorable  work  of, 
closed,  489;  nameless  graves  of  its  soldiers, 
491;  its  noble  dead,  492,  493;  medical  offi- 
cers of,  497 ;  chaplains  of,  502 ;  private  sol- 
diers of,  504;  Koster  of,  513. 
Noble,  Adj't  killed,  492. 
Norfolk  threatened  in  rear  by  movement 
upon  Roanoke,  34;  by  movement  on 
Camden,  83;  occupied,  88. 

North   Anna,  operations  at  the,  391-395. 

North  Carolina,  coast  of,  to  be  occu- 
pied, 21,  39;  department  of,  organized,  32; 
8th  volunteers  at  Roanoke.  35;  troops  cap- 
tured at  iioanoke  Island,  45;  25th  captured 
at  Newbern,  68;  North  Carolina,  the 
Department  op,  76;  the  pacification  of, 
attempted,  89;  military  governor  of,  ap- 
pointed, 89;  Burnside  gives  up  command 
of,  94 ;  Foster  succeeds  to  command  of,  94 ; 
good  feeling  existing  in,  97;  loyal  troops 
of,  capture  Warm  Springs,  426;  Burnside 
wishes  to  go  to,  again,  366;  importance  of 
operations  in.  404. 

North  Carolina,  the  Expedition  to,  1. 

N  o  tt,  Eliphalet,  D.D.  Rev.,  grandfather  of 
Potter,  318. 

O'Connell,  P.  A.,  medical  director,  516. 

O  g  den,  Morgan  L.,  Lieut.,  commissary  of 
musters,  520. 

Ohio,  Morgan's  invasion  of,  296;  loyal  peo- 
ple of,  turn  out  to  stop  Morgan,  295,  299; 
Tod  Governor  of,  295;  Cox  elected  Gov- 
ernor of,  489. 

Ohio,  11th.  12th,  23d,  2Srh,  30th  and  36th, 
compose  the  Kanawha  division,  161. 

Ohio,  11th,  its  dead,  161;  in  Roster,  530. 

Ohio,  12th,  at  Autietam,  148;  its  dead,  161; 
in  Roster,  530. 

Ohio,  14th,  in  Roster,  530. 

Ohio,  23d,  at  Antietam,  148;  its  dead,  161; 
in  Roster,  530. 

Ohio,  28th,  in  Koster,  530. 

Ohio,  30th,  charges  into  Frederick,  121;  at 
Antietam,  142;  in  Roster,  530. 

Ohio,  36th,  its  dead,  161 ;  in  Roster,  530. 

Ohio,  45th,  pursue  Morgan,  298;  in  East 
Tennessee,  339, 340. 

Ohio,  60th,  in  Roster,  530. 

Ohio,  86th,  in  Roster,  530. 

Ohio,  129th,  in  Roster,  530. 

Ohio.  2d.  cavalry  charges  upon  Morgan, 
297;  in  Virginia.  377,  419;  in  Roster,  531. 

Ohio  4th  independent  battalion  cavalry,  in 
Roster,  531. 

Ohio,  7th  cavalry  charges  upon  Morgan, 
297. 

Ohio  independent  company  cavalry,  in 
Roster,  531. 

Ohio  1st  light  battery,  in  Roster,  530. 


5-iS 


GENERAL    ENDEX. 


0  h  i  o  21st  light  battery,  in  East  Tennessee, 
355. 

Ohio  Lid  light  battery,  in  Eoster,  531. 

Ohio  2Sd  light  battery,  in  Roster.  581. 

Ohio,  the  Army  of  the.  commanded  by 
Burnside.  309;  Burnside  retained  by  Grant 
in  command  of.  82$. 

Ohio,  the  Department  op  the.  261 ;  Burn- 
side in  command  of.  261:  Foster  in  cam- 
mandof.  355:  Ordin  command  of.  488. 

Ord.  E.  0  C  .  ben-,  commands  forces  in 
Mississippi.  2S2:  at  the  attack  of  July  30. 
on  Petei>burg  4S4.  435.  ±40.  441.  446.  "448  : 
examined  by  court  of  inquiry,  454:  com- 
mands department  of  the  Ohio,  488- 

Order  So.  38.  issue  of.  265 :  effect  of,  266. 

Ordnance   c>  f  f  i  c  er  s  .  516. 

OUUAXIZATIOX'   OF   SilXTH    CORPS.  101. 

Osborn,  Mr.  W  H.  of  Chicago,  befriends 
Burnside  10. 

O  s  b  o  rn  e,  F.  A..  Lieut.  Col.,  sent  to  Eliz- 
abeth City.  52 :  at  Tranter's  creek,  90. 

Over  the  'Mhuxiaiss.  3'. 2. 

1'  ai  n  e.  W.  H..  assistant  surgeon,  died.  289. 

Pamlico  Sound,  commanded  by  our 
fleet.  24.  32.  55. 

Park.  SI.  A..  Cart,  commissary  of  subsis- 
tence. "20. 

Park.  ilaj..  killed  493. 

Parke.  John  B..  Capt.  A.D.  C..517. 

Parke,  Joh:-"  G..  at  West  Point,  6:  com- 
mands brigade  in  >'.  C.  expedition.  22:  in 
battle  of  Keanoke  Island,  42.  43:  fort 
named  for.  45:  in  battle  of  Sewbern.  57; 
invests  fort  11  aeon.  71;  bombards  fort  Ma- 
con. 73:  compels  its  surrender.  74;  is  pro- 
moted. 75:  in  command  of  division,  *4. 104, 
520:  chief  of  staff  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac. 171:  in  command  of  Sirith  Corps,  251, 
514 :  sketch  of.  251 ;  goes  to  Mississippi.  279 ; 
reports  to  Grant,  2*0:  marches  to  Jackson, 
2*2:  returns  to  Cairo.  2**:  in  o  mmand  at 
Knoxville.  332;  chief  of  staff  of  Sinth 
Corps,  367;  in  command  of  Corps.  464:  re- 
enforces  "Warren.  465;  moves  to  Pegrani 
house.  46.7;  in  front  of  Petersburg,  475; 
commands  Army  of  the  Potomac.  479,  4*0: 
assaults  l'etersb'urg.  4*3.  4S4,  4*5;  in  de: 
partment  of  the  East.  4** :  returns  to  corps 
of  engineers.  4*9. 

Patrick,  Gen.,  Provost  Marshal  General. 
211. 

Pearson.  Lt,  Col.    killed.  393. 

Peebles   larm.  afl'air  at.  467. 

Pegrani.  a  rebel  raider,  28*. 

P  e  g  r  a  in  commands  rebel  battery  at  Fred- 
ericksburg. 219. 

P  e  g  r  a  m  farm,  affair  at,  46 , ,  408. 

Pemberton  surrenders  to  Grant,  281. 

Pell,  Duncan  A..  Lieut..  A.  D.  C  .  21,  517; 
makes  a  daring  reconnaissance.  65:  taken 
prisoner.  109n,  329n,  distinguishes  himself 
and  is  brevetted,  495;  private  in  1st  Khode 
Island.  505. 

Penne backer,  Col.,  commands  brigade 
in  East  Tennessee,  339. 

P  e  n  n  e  1 1,  Lieut,  of  colored  troops,  bravery 
of,  443. 

Pennsylvania,  8th,  Lieut.  Fricker  of, 
49. 

Pennsylvania,  45th.  in  Mississippi, 
282n.  283,285;  Welsh  Colonel  of.  289;  be- 
fore Petersburg,  409;  in  Poster,  529.  j 


Pennsylvania.  4Sth,  at  Hatteras  island, 

36:  at  second  Bull  Eun.  112;  before!  eters- 
burg,  409 :  constructs  mine,  422 :  in  Eoster, 
529. 

Pennsylvania.  50th.  in  Eoster.  529. 

Pennsylvania.  51st  in  >«".  C.  expedition, 
22:  at  "Roanoke  island.  42:  garrisons  Eoa- 
noke  island.  51:  in  battle  of  Xewbern.  59, 
in  battle  of  Camden,  80.  82 ;  at  soci  ud  Bull 
Eun.  112 :  at  Antietam,  144 :  in  Roster,  529. 

Pennsylvania.  .5th,  in  Eoster,  "29. 

Pennsylvania.  S4th,  at  Fredericksburg, 

Pennsylvania.  100th.  Colonel  Leasure 
of.  commands  division,  3(2,  at  fort  ited- 
man,  47* :  in  Roster,  529. 

Pennsylvania,  110th,  at  Fredericks- 
burg. 224. 

Pennsylvania.  211th,  in  battle  of  fort 
Stedman,  478  :  in  lioster.  529. 

Pennsylvania,  200th  205th.  207th.  208th, 
209th  211th.  in  assault  on  Petersburg,  483; 
in  Roster,  529. 

Pennsylvania,  battery  B,  light  artillery, 
in  Eoster,  530. 

Pennsylvania,  battery  D,  light  artillery, 
in  Roster.  530. 

Pennsylvania,  13th  cavalry,  in  Roster, 
529. 

Pennsylvania,  2d  heavy  artillery,  at  the 
crater.  43* :  in  Roster.  529." 

Petersburg  ix  front  of,  4)5. 

Petersburg,  importance  of  occupying 
mentioned  by  Burnside,  93.  102;  Grant's 
attacks  upon,  unsuccessful,  405  ;  opera- 
tions against,  409,  486:  surrender  of.  486. 

Phillips.   Capt.,   commands  battery.  224. 

P  li  i  1 1  i  p  s  house,  description  of,  205  ^Burn- 
side's  headquarters  at,  206. 

Pierce,  E.  W  Col.,  commands  brigade, 
o'-o. 

Pierce,  Henry  E.  Lieut.,  killed  at  New- 
bern,  66. 

Pleasants.  Henry  Lieut.  Col.,  conceives 
plan  of  mine,  421;  begins  the  construction 
of  mine,  422;  his  account  of  the  work, 
423:  explodes  the  mine,  437;  commended 
by  Meade,  450n.;  commands  brigade,  523. 

P 1  e  a  s  o  n  t  o  n  G  en . ,  in  command  of  cavalry, 
122, 132,  150. 

P  o  e,  O.  M.  Col  ,  Burnside's  chief  engineer, 
at  Knoxville.  331;  fortifies  Knoxville,  33S, 
342,  317 ;  in  Eoster. 

Pollard,   his  history  noticed,  147,  loS. 

Poxtoxs,  The,  190. 

Pope,  John  Gen.,  commands  Army  of 
Virginia,  103;  is  pressed  by  Lee,  104;  em- 
barrassed by  Jackson,  104;  complains  of 
Porter  and  others,  107:  commends  Eeno, 
107;  attacked  at  Manassas,  109,  110,  111; 
falls  back  to  Centreville.  113,  to  Fairfax, 
114,  to  Washington,  115;  is  relieved  of 
command,  116. 

Pope  Lieut.,  killed,  493. 

Poplar  Spring  Church,  battle  near,  467. 

Porter,  Admiral,  bombards  Fort  Fisher, 
475. 

Porter.  B.  H.,  midshipman  at  Boanoke, 
39,  40,  47. 

Porter,  Fitz  John,  at  West  Point,  6;  is 
complained  of  by  Pope,  107;  moves  up 
slowly,  111 ;  up  at 'last,  and  in  the  fight,  112; 
at  Antietam,  134, 149. 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


549 


Potomac  Creek,  bridge  over,  a  wonder- 
ful structure,  205. 

Potter  Capt.,  makes  a  daring  reconnais- 
sance, 65. 

Pottek,  Robert  B.,  at  Boanoke,  41  ; 
wounded  at  Newbern,  65;  commands  51st 
H.  Y.,  223;  in  command  of  division  in  the 
Ninth  Corps,  262,  521;  President  of  milita- 
ry commission  to  try  Valiandigham,  269; 
goes  to  Mississippi,  282;  in  command  of 
Corps,  317,  514;  sketch  of,  317;  up  the 
valley  of  the  llolston,  325;  in  command  at 
Lenoir's,  332;  retreats  to  Campbell's,  335;  is 
relieved,  358;  commands  division,  367,  521; 
in  the  Wilderness,  373,  374 ;  near  Spottsyl- 
vania,  379,  384;  at  the  North  Anna,  392;  at 
Cold  Harbor,  397;  brilliant  action  of,  be- 
fore Petersburg,  409;  approves  the  mine 
project,  422;  ordered  to  the  crest  be- 
yond mine,  435;  bravery  of,  in  crater,  439, 
441;  examined  by  court  of  inquiry,  454; 
goes  to  the  Weldon  Railroad,  465;  is  bre- 
vetted,  465;  repels  enemy,  466;  in  battle  of 
Poplar  Spring  Church,  467;  goes  to  Notto- 
way Court  House,  472 ;  before  Petersburg, 
476;  assaults  Petersburg,  and  is  severely 
wounded,  484 ;  in  department  of  the  East, 
488;  resumes  his  profession,  489. 

T  r  e  s  c  o  1 1,   Maj.  killed,  493. 

Private  Soldiers,  claims  of,  recognized, 
504;  in  1st  Rhode  Island  become  officers, 
505. 

Proclamation  of  Union  Commanders, 
509. 

Prouty,  M.  F.  Lieut.,  commands  battery, 
in  siege  of  Fort  Macon,  74. 

Fugh,    Geo.  E  ,    Vallandigham's   counsel, 

Pulaski  Fort,  to  be  taken,  31:  is  repos- 
sessed, 74. 

Quackenbush,  S  P.  Lieut.,  commands 
gunboat,   22  n. 

Quartermaster,  Burnside,  of  the  Boun- 
dary Commission,  8. 

Quartermasters,   519. 

II  a  id,  Stuart's,  163;  Averill's  contemplated, 
236;  Pegram's,  262;  Sanders's  291;  John 
Morgan's,  291,  301.  Wheeler's  attempted, 
324. 

Raines,  commands  rebel  battery  at  Antie- 
tam,  136. 

Randall,  Maj.,  testimony  of,  456. 

R  a  p  i  d  an,  the  Ninth  Corps  on,  107 ;  Army 
of  the  Potomac  quiescent  on,  327 ;  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  moves  from,  371 ;  Burn- 
side  crosses,  372. 

Rappahannock,  the  Ninth  Corps  on, 
108 ;  Army  of  the  Potomac  on,  187 ;  de- 
scription of,  204;  gunboats  in  205;  Burn- 
side  attempts  to  bridge,  212;  army  crosses, 
214;  army  re-crosses.  228;  Burnside  makes 
second  attempt  to  cross,  243;  Ninth  Corps 
crosses,  372. 

R  a  t  h  b  o  n  e,  Henry  R.,  commissary  of  mus- 
ters, 520. 

R  a  u  1  s  t  o  n,  Col.,  killed  in  front  of  Peters- 
burg, 413. 

Rebellion,  The  last  tear  of  the,  361. 

R  e  e  s,  Henry  Lieut.,  goes  in  to  mine,  to 
re-light  fuses,  436. 

Regiments  composing  the  Ninth  Corps, 
525. 

Remarkable    declaration  of  Grant,  460. 

Remington,  Daniel  S.,  Quartermaster, 
519. 


Reno  Capt.,  makes  a  daring  reconnais- 
sance, 65. 

Reno,  Jesse  L.,  at  West  Point,  6;  becomes 
Brigadier  General,  and  commands  brigade 
in  K.  C.  Expedition,  22;  in  lintteras  inlet, 
25,  27 ;  lands  his  brigade,  40 ;  ardent  nature 
of,  41;  in  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island,  41, 
42,  43;  battery  named  for,  46;  lands  troops 
and  marches  towards  Kewbern,  66;  at  the 
battle  of  Kewbern,  57—60,  63;  his  estimate 
of  Stearns,  67;  promoted  to  Major  General, 
75;  at  the  battle  of  Camden,  81—83;  com- 
mands division,  84;  commands  the  Corps, 
107,  513;  Bope's  estimate  of,  107;  on  the 
Rappahannock,  108;  at  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  110,  111.  112;  at  the  battle  of 
Chantilly,  113;  at  the  battle  of  South 
Mountain,  122—128 ;  is  killed,  128 ;  sketch 
of,  128;  McClellan's  estimate  of,  130;  Burn- 
side's  estimate  ol,  130;  universal  testimony 
to  his  gallantry,  130;  his  enthusiasm  and 
daring,  131. 

Renshaw,  R.  X.  Lieut.,  commands  gun- 
boat, 22  n. 

Rlougamzation,   363 

Reynolds  Capt.,  commands  battery  at 
Bull  Run,  15,  17. 

Reynolds,  J.  F  Gen.,  commands  divis- 
ion in  Virginia,  111;  commands  corps  in 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  210 ;  at  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  214,  217,  218. 

Reynolds,  Silas  Master,  commands  gun- 
boat, 22  n. 

R  h  i  n  e  s,  L.  C,  Maj.,  killed  in  front  of  Pe- 
tersburg, 413 

Rhode  Island,  Burnside's  hold  upon  the 
people  of.  7;  Khode  Island  Kegiment, 
thu  First,  12;  General  Assembly  of, 
thanks  Burnside  and  his  ci  mmand,  19  and 
votes  a  sword  to  him,  50;  presentation  of 
sword  from,  90;  Burnside  is  elected  Gov- 
ernor of,  464. 

Rhode  Island.  1st.  Burnside  commands, 
13;  at  Annapolis  and  Washington,  14;  in 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  16;  returns  home,  19; 
prisoners  from,  exchanged,  h9;  privates  of, 
become  officers.  505. 

Rhode  Island,  2d.  in  Burnside's  brig- 
ade, 15;  in  battle  of  Bull  Kun,  16;  crosses 
the  Kappahannock,  214. 

Rhode  Island,  4th,  in  N.  C.  expedition, 
22;  at  Roanoke  Island,  42,  45;  leaves  Roa- 
noke Island.  53 ;  gallant  charge  of,  at  Kew- 
bern. 61:  occupies  Moreliead  City,  71;  at 
Fredericksburg.  225;  in  the  crater,  449;  in 
Roster.  526. 

Rhode  Island,  5th,  inN.  C  expedition, 
22;  makes  reconnaissance  for  landing,  39; 
at  Roanoke  Island,  43;  bravery  of,  in  bat- 
tle of  Kewbern,  61;  on  the  way  to  Beau- 
fort, 70;  marches  into  fort  Macon,  74;  in 
Roster,  533. 

Rhode  Island,  7th,  at  Fredericksburg, 
224;  in  Mississippi,  281;  in  front  of  Peters- 
burg, 409;  in  the  crater,  439;  near  Tegram 
house,  468;  garrisons  fort  Sedgwick,  474; 
in  Roster,  526. 

Rhode  Island,  7th  battalion,  in  Roster, 
527. 

Rhode  Island,  12th,  in  Kentucky,  2(9; 
in  Roster,  527. 

Rhode  I  s  1  a  n  d,  1st  light  artillery,  battery 
D,  in  Roster,  527.    See  Buckley. 

Rhodelsland,  1st  light  artillery,  battery 


550 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


F,  in  N.  C.  expedition,  22 ;  is  landed  at 
Hatteras,  36;  in  Roster,  533. 

Rhode  Island,  1st  light  artillery,  battery 
H,  in  Roster,  527. 

Rice,  Lt.  Col.,  killed,  493. 

Richards,  Win.  V.,  aide  de  camp,  518. 

Richardson,  Gen.,  commands  division 
at  Antietara,  133;  killed,  151. 

Richmond,  McClellan  operates  against, 
87 ;  information  of  capture  of.  92 ;  McClel- 
lan defeated  before,  102;  Mr.  Lincoln's 
letter  respecling  campaign  against,  165; 
Burnside's  plan  for  reaching,  178 ;  road  to, 
barred,  189;  Grant  hopes  to  capture,  391; 
Grant  essays  to  approach,  394;  Butler  fails 
in  moving  against,  405;  is  invested,  418. 

Richmond,  Lewis,  a  staff  officer,  21,  514; 
promoted  to  Lieut.  Colonel,  104;  at  head- 
quarters Army  of  the  Potomac,  182 ;  is  dis- 
tinguished and  brevetted,  495 ;  a  private  in 
1st  Rhode  Island,  505. 

R  i  c  k  e  1 1  s,  Capt.,  loses  battery  at  Bull  Run, 
17 ;  commands  division  at  Sonth  Mount- 
ain, 126. 

Ripley,  Capt..  killed,  493. 

Rivers,  H .  W . ,  medical  director  of  Ninth 
Corps,  497,  498,  515. 

ROANOKE    ISLAKD    AND     ITS    CAPTURE,    29. 

Roanoke  island  to  be  occupied,  30;  plan 
for  attack  upon,  32;  defences  of,  33,  35; 
commands  approaches  to  Norfolk,  34; 
troops  landed  on,  39.  light  the  battle  of, 
40^4;  is  surrendered  by  the  enemy,  45; 
garrisoned  by  our  troops,  51 ;  troops  leave 
for  Newbern,  52;  a  base  of  operations,  79; 
commanded  by  Hawkins,  84. 

Robertson,  Capt.,  commands  battery  at 
Antietam,  140. 

Robertson,  Jas.  M.,  commands  artillery 
brigade,  532. 

Rock  wood,  T.  H.,  Maj.,  falls  in  the  cra- 
ter, 443. 

Rodman,  Isaac  P.  Col  ,  at  battle  of  New- 
bern, 61;  gallant  charge  of,  61;  promoted 
to  Brigadier  General,  75;  in  command  of 
b:i^ade,  84;  commands  division  in  the 
Ninth  Corps,  122,  521;  at  South  Mountain, 
125;  at  Antietam,  135;  fords  the  creek,  146; 
presses  on  towards  Sharpsburg,  146;  is  at- 
tacked by  Hill,  147;  is  wounded,  148;  death 
of,  152;  sketch  of,  152;  a  faithful,  devoted. 
Christian  man,  155;  order  respecting  the 
death  of,  155n. 

Roemer,  J.  Capt.,  commands  battery  in 
Mississippi.  283;  at  Knoxville,  343;  in  Vir- 
ginia, 376,  3S5;  brevetted,  474. 

Rohrback,  Mr.  Rodman  died  at  house 
of,  154. 

R  o  mey  n,  James,  Lieut. ,  A.  D.  C.,518. 

Rosecrans,  W  S-  Gen.,  commands  in 
■western  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  265; 
Vallandigham  transferred  to  the  custody 
of,  273;  Buriiside  submits  plan  of  move- 
ment to,  278;  moves  to  Chattanooga,  304; 
hopeful  despatch  from,  311 ;  to  occupy  Dal- 
ton,  313;  needs  aid,  314;  fights  and  is  de- 
feated at  Chickamauga,  315;  pent  up  at 
Chattanooga,  323;  is  relieved  from  com- 
mand, 328 ;  commends  Morton,  416. 

Ross,  Lieut.  Col.,  deposes  in  favor  of  Fer- 
rero,  459. 

Roster  op  the  Ninth  Corps,  513. 

Rowan,    S.    C,    Commander,  second  in 


command  to  Goldsborough,  23n ;  active  in 
the  storm,  27 ;  fights  the  rebel  fleet  off  Eliza- 
beth City,  47,  48;  sends  expedition  to 
Edenton,  49;  in  command  of  fleet,  54;  sails 
for  Newbern,  55;  active  in  co-operation, 
68;  is  thanked  by  Congress,  75. 

Russell,  Col.,  commands  brigade  of  col- 
ored troops,  470,  524. 

Russell,  Charles  S.  Col.,  killed  at  Roanoke 
island,  46;  battery  named  in  honor  of,  47. 

Salem  burnt  by  Morgan,  295. 

Sampson,  Capt ,  killed,  493. 

Sanders,  fort,  spoken  of,  343 ;  attacked, 
348 ;  enemy  repulsed  from,  349 ;  description 
of,  350. 

Sanders,  "W.  P.  Col.,  makes  a  raid  into 
East  Tennessee,  291;  fights  Morgan  at 
Chester,  297;  commands  at  Loudon,  329; 
goes  to  south  of  Knoxville,  332;  fights 
enemy  near  Marysville,  339;  makes  a  bril- 
liant fight  before  Knoxville,  340;  is  mor- 
tally wounded  and  dies,  341;  notice  of,341; 
Burnside's  estimation  of,  311 ;  fort  named 
for,  341. 

Sanitary  Commission,  labors  of,  no- 
ticed, 382,  501. 

Sayles,  Welcome  B.,  Lt.  Col.,  killed  at 
Fredericksburg,  224. 

Scammon,  E.  P.,  Col.,  commands  brigade 
in  Kanawha  division,  124,  161,  522;  at  An- 
tietam 135, 142, 146 ;  commands  department 
of  West  Virginia,  300 ;  commands  division, 
520. 

Schall,  Edwin,  Col.,  Major  of  51st  Penn- 
sylvania, 80 ;  killed,  492 ;  commands  brig- 
ade, 523. 

Schneider,  E.  M.,  private  in  57th  Mass., 
noticed,  414. 

Schofield,  Gen.,  commands  in  Tennes- 
see, 162. 

Schriver,  Col.,  judge  advocate  of  court  ot 
inquiry,  452. 

Scott,  Winfield,  Gen.,  general  in  chief,  20 ; 
relieved,  29;  a  brevet  Lieutenant  General, 
364. 

S  c  r  y  m e r,  J.  A.,  aide  de  camp,  518. 

Second  Co  rps  in  Maryland,  119 ;  in  Vir- 
ginia, 169;  at  Fredericksburg,  211,  226; 
Couch  commands,  211;  Sedgwick  com- 
mands, 249;  Hancock  in  command  of,  373. 
See  Hancock. 

Sedgwick,  fort,  called  fort  Hell,  471; 
Minth  Corps  attacks  from,  482. 

Sedgwick,  John,  Gen.,  commands  division 
at  Antietam,  138;  is  wounded,  139;  com- 
mands the  Ninth  Corps,  249 ,  513 ;  sketch  of, 
249;  transferred  to  sixth  corps,  250;  in 
Virginia  with  Grant,  374;  is  killed,  377; 
notice  of,  378. 

Seibert,  Adj't,  killed  near  Knoxville,  493. 

Seward,  W.  H.,  meets  peace  commission- 
ers at  Hampton  Roads,  473,  475. 

Seymour,  Gen.,  skilfully  manoeuvres  at 
South  Mountain,  126. 

Shackleford,  Gen.,  pursues  Morgan, 
294-299;  is  commended,  299;  at  Cumber- 
land Gap,  309 ;  in  East  Tennessee,  313;  pur- 
sues enemy  after  battle  of  Blue  Springs, 
326. 

Shaw,  Henry  M.,  Col.,  commands  rebel 
troops  at  Roanoke,  35 ;  surrenders,  45. 

Sheridan,  Phil.   H.,  Gen.,  commands 


GENEKAL    INDEX. 


551 


cavalry  in  Virginia,  419,434;  makesabril- 
liant  campaign  in  Shenandoah  valley,  463; 
operates  on  the  left,  481,  482 
Sherman,  T.  W  Gen.,  operates  in  South 

Carolina,  31. 
Sherman,  W.  T.  Gen.,  commands  brigade 
at  first  Bull  Run,  16;  his  great  campaign, 
162;  commands  army  in  Mississippi,  282; 
in  front  of  Jackson,  283,  284;  the  great 
campaign  of,  in  its  germ  in  Burnside's 
plan,  323 ;  commands  lifteenth  corps,  327 ; 
marches  from  Memphis,  328 ;  clears  Grant's 
right  flank,  330;  approaches  Chattanooga, 
344;  joins  Grant,  347;  marches  for  Knox- 
ville  and  arrives  at  Marysville  352 ;  letter 
of  to  Burnside,  352;  his  magnificent  move- 
ments through  the  South,  475. 

Shillinglaw,  Rob't  S.,  aide  de  camp, 
518. 

S  h  i  n  d  house,  brilliant  action  near  409. 

Shurtliff,  G.W. aide  decamp, 518. 

Sickles,  t>.  E.  Gen.  commands  division 
in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  169,  210,  219. 

Siege  of  Knoxville   the,  344 

Si  gel  Franz,  Gen.  lingers  at  Gainesville 
110;  to  remain  at  Centreville,  180;  suggests 
plan  of  operations,  182;  at  Fairfax  C.  H., 
205;  ordered  to  Stafford  C.  H.  208. 

S  i  g  f  r  i  e  d,  J.  K .  commands  brigade  of  col- 
ored troops,  442,  444,  523. 

Simmons,  (.'apt.  commands  battery  at 
Antietam,  142. 

S  i  mm  s.  Capt.  commands  battery  atKnox- 
ville  343n. 

Sinclair,  Col .  commands  a  rebel  regiment 
at  Newbern,  59. 

Sixth  Corps  in  Maryland,  119;  in  Vir- 
ginia, 169;  at  Fredericksburg  210;  Sedg- 
wick commands.  250;  losses  of,  at  Antie- 
tam, 150,  255;  distinguishes  itself  before 
Petersburg,  484.  See  W  F.  Smith  and 
Wright. 

Sk  inker's  Neck,  a  peninsula  formed  by 
the  Rappahannock,  204;  Burnside  propo- 
ses to  cross  at,  205,  but  decides  not  to  do 
so,  208. 

Slaight,  T.  C.  Capt.,  a  staff  officer,  21. 

S  1  o  c  u  m,   Col.,  killed  at  Bull  Run,  17. 

Slocnm,  Gen.  commands  at  Harper's  Fer- 
ry, 205,  208. 

Slocum's  Creek,  troops  landed  at,  55. 

S  m  i  t  h,  Caleb  B.  Hon.,  appoints  Burnside 
to  cadet,  5. 

Smith  Gen.,  commands  division  in  Mis- 
sissippi, 286. 

Smith,  Lieut.  Col.  of  20th  Mich.,  killed 
near  Knoxville,  493. 

Smith,  W.  F.  Gen.,  commands  sixth 
corps  at  Fredericksburg,  210, 214, 220 ;  com- 
mands Ninth  Corps,  250,  513;  sketch  of, 
250;  is  relieved,  251;  at  Cold  Harbor,  396; 
in  front  of  Petersburg,  405,  406. 

Smith,   W.  Kirby,  at  Bull  Run,  17. 

South  Carolina,  Burnside's  grand- 
father settles  in  4;  troops  of,  bombard 
Sumter,  12;  islands  of  secured,  20;  little 
doing  in  87. 

South  Mountain,  description  of,  123; 
battle  of,  124. 

S  p  a  u  1  d  i  n  g  Capt.,  in  charge  of  pontons, 
190, 191;  his  account  of  pontons,  192. 

Spottsylvania    Court  House,    Grant 


marches  towards,  371,  376;  battles  around, 
377,  378,  383,  385 ;  army  leaves,  389. 
S  prague    William,    Governor  of  Rhode 
Island,  13, 14 ;  recommends  voting  a  sword 
to  Burnside,  50. 
Squirrel    Level  road,   operations    upon, 

467,  468. 
Stahl  Gen.,  checks  enemy  near   Fairfax 

C.  H.,  238. 
Stanley,  killed  near  Knoxville,  493. 
Stanley,   Edward,    military  governor  of 

North  Carolina,  89. 
Stannard's  Mills,   Ninth  Corps  near, 

389. 
Stanton,  E.  M.,  Secretary  of  War,  ap- 
proves Burnside's  course,  52;  at  Norfolk, 
88;  acting  as  general-in-chief,  103;  has  an 
interview  with  Burnside,  238;  second  in- 
terview with  Burnside.  246;  authorizes  the 
recruitment  of  Ninth  Corps,  365. 
Staples    Ernest,    master's    mate,    com- 
mands gunboat,  22  n. 
Starke  Gen.,  rebel  killed  at  Antietam,  151. 
Statement  op  Burnside,    in  Vallandig- 

ham's  case,  510. 
Stead  man  killed  near  Knoxville,  493. 
Stearns,    Frazar  A.,   writes  account  of 
charge  at  Roanoke,  41 ;  killed  at  Newbern, 
66;  sketch  of,  66. 
S  t  e  d  in  a  n   Fort,  battle  of,  476,  481. 
Steele  Gen  ,  commands  a  force  in  Missis- 
sippi, 282. 
Stephens,  A.H.,  a  peace  commissioner, 

473. 
Stevens  Fort,  attacked  by  enemy,  418. 
Stevens,   Isaac  I.    Gen.,   joins   Burnside 
at  Newport  News,  94;  commands  division 
in  Ninth  Corps,  104,  520;  is  killed  at  Clian- 
tilly,  114 ;  sketch  of,  114 ;  burial  of,  116 ;  a 
heroic  soldier,  116. 
Stevenson,  Thomas  G .  Col.,  commands 
24th  Mass.,  78, 533;  commands  brigade,  84; 
commands  division  in  Ninth  Corps,  367, 
521;  in  the  Wilderness,  373;  is  killed  near 
Spottsylvania  C.  H.  379;    sketch  of,  379; 
Burnside  and  Foster's  opinion  of,  380;  his 
character,  381. 
Stone,   Charles  P.,  at  West  Point,  6. 
Stoneman    Cen.,    commands    corps    in 

Army  of  Potomac,  168,  210,  215,  218. 
Stringham,   Flag  officer,  importance  of 

operations  of,  32. 
Stuart,  J.  E  B.  Gen  ,  raids  around  Mc- 
Clellan,  163;  at  Fredericksburg,  218,  219; 
is  good-natured  to  Chaplain  Ball,  5<'3. 
Sturgis,   S.  D.  Gen.,   commands  division 
in  Ninth  Corps,  122,  171,  211,  521 ;  at  South 
Mountain,  124,125;  at  Antietam,  135,141, 
143    146,  148;  at  Fredericksburg,  223,224; 
is  relieved,  262. 
Sumner,   E.  V.  Gen.,  commands  corps  in 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  106;   joins  Pope, 
113;  commands   corps  in  Maryland,   119, 
132,  138;  commands  right  wing,  136;  com- 
mands grand  division,  187,  210;   marches 
to  Falmouth,  187;  sends  his  grand  division 
across  the  Rappahannock.  214;  his  orders 
for  battle,  216;  bravery  of  his  command, 
225;  longs  to  direct  in  person,  226;  an  ex- 
perienced soldier.  227;  is  relieved,  244. 
Sumner,   Sanrl  S.,  aide  decamp,  517- 
Sumter  Fort,  bombarded,  12. 
S  w  a  y  n  e  Justice,  opinion  of,  272. 


552 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


S  win  ton,  Wm.  Mr.,  writes  a  critical  his- 
tory of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  254; 
makes  very  superiicial  criticisms  on  Burn- 
side  and  the  Ninth  Corps,  254;  falls  into 
grave  errors,  255;  misconceives  plan  of 
battle,  256;  malevolence  of  explained,  257; 
makes  an  incredible  statement  and  is  ex- 
pelled from  the  array,  399  n. 

S y  kes,  Gen.,  commands  division  in  Mary- 
land, 119, 132,  133,  131;  at  Fredericksburg, 
210,  226. 

Taliaferro,  Gen.,  commands  rebel  re- 
serves at  Fredericksburg,  219;  Meade  at- 
tacks, 220. 

Tebbs's  Bend.  Col.  Moore's  brilliant 
light  near,  293. 

Tennessee  exploits  in,  89.  See  East 
Tennessee. 

The  Aiar  of  tup;  Potomac,  99. 

The  Battle  of  Antietam,  132. 

The  Battle  of  Fredericksburg,  210. 

The  Beginning  of  the  End,  463. 

The  Campaign  in  Maryland,  —  South 
Mountain,  118 

The   Campaign  in  Mississippi,  279. 

The  Closing  Scenes,  475. 

The  Deliverance  of  East  Tennessee, 
259. 

The  Department  of  North  Carolina, 
76. 

The  Department  of  the  Ohio,  261. 

The  Expedition  to  North  Carolina,  1. 

The  First  Commander  of  the  Ninth 
Corps,  3. 

The  First  Rhode  Island  Regiment,  12. 

The  Last  Year  of  the  Rebellion,  361. 

The  Mine,  418. 

The  Organization  of  the  Ninth  Corps, 
101. 

The  Pontons,   190. 

The  Siege  of  Knoxville,  327. 

The  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania, 
371. 

Thomas  Capt.,  commands  battery  in  East 
Tennessee,  343  n. 

Thomas,  Geo.  II.  Gen  ,  supersedes  Rose- 
crans.  323;  sends  Elliott  to  Knoxville,  352. 

Thomas,  !■£.  G.  (Nil.,  commands  brigade  of 
colored  troops,  443 ;  523. 

Thompson  Fort,  description  of,  57 ;  at- 
tacked, 58 ;  taken,  62. 

Thornton's   Gap.  rebel  forces  near,  169. 

Ti  db  al  1,  John  0.  Gen  ,  at  Fort  Stedman, 
477;  chief  of  artillery,  517. 

T  i  1 1  i  n  g  h  a  s  t,  Chas.  Capt.,  killed  at  New- 
bern,  66. 

Tilling  hast,   O.  H.,  at  "West  Point,   6. 

Titus,  Herbert  B.  commands  brigade  524. 

To  the  James  River,  387. 

T  o  b  ey,  Samuel  B.,  Jr.  Quartermaster,  519. 

T  o  m,  information  given  by,  33. 

Toombs,  the  rhodomontade  of,  147. 

Totten,  Joseph  G.,  Prof,  at  West  Point  6. 

Towards  Fredericksburg,  174. 

Tranter's   creek,   engagement  at,  90. 

T  ravers,  Lieut.  Col.  shot  in  front  of  Pe- 
tersburg, 413. 

Treason,  brand  of,  fixed  on  Vallandigham 
and  his  friends  276. 

Treat    R.  B.,  Capt    on  Cox's  staff,  162  519. 

Truce  flag  of  disregarded  by  rebels,  329. 

Tucker,  Campbell,  aide  de  camp,  518. 


T  w  e  1  f  t  h  Corps  in  Maryland,  119 ;  its  losses 
at  Antietam,  150,  255.     See  Mansfield. 

Twenty-third  Corps.  See  Hartsuff  and 
White. 

Union  the,  South  to  separate  from,  11 ;  the 
North  aroused  to  defend   12. 

United  States,  1st  artillery,  company 
C.  in  Roster  533 

United  States,  2d  artillery,  battery  D, 
in  Roster,  532- 

United  States,  2d  artillery,  battery  E, 
in  Roster,  532. 

United  States,  2d  artillery ,  battery  L 
and  B   in  Roster  532. 

United  States,  2d  artillery,  battery  51, 
in  Roster,  532. 

United  States,  3d  artillery,  battery  C, 
in  Roster    532. 

United  States  31  artillery,  battery  G, 
in  koster,  532. 

United  States  3d  artillery  battery  L 
and  51.  in  Roster  532. 

United  States  4th  artillery  battery,  in 
Roster  532 

United  States,  4th  artillery,  battery  E, 
in  Roster,  532. 

United  States  5th  artillery,  battery  A, 
in  Roster,  532. 

United  States, 5th  artillery,  battery  1  j, 
in  Roster,  532. 

United  States  4th  infantry,  in  Roster, 
532. 

United  States,  10th  infantry  in  Ros- 
ter. 532. 

United  States  colored  troops .  19th  in- 
fantry in  crater ,  443 ;  in  Roster  532 . 

United  States  colored  troops,  23d  in- 
fantry, in  the  Wilderness,  377;  in  crater, 
413;  in  Roster,  532. 

United  States  colored  troops  27th  in- 
fantry, in  crater  445;  in  Roster.  532. 

United  States  colored  troops  28th  in- 
fantry, in  crater.  443;  in  Roster  533. 

United  States  colored  troops  29th  in- 
fantry, in  crater,  443;  in  Roster.  533 

United  States  colored  troops.  30th  in- 
fantry, in  crater  444;  in  Roster  533. 

United  States  colored  troops.  31st  in- 
fantry, in  Roster,  533. 

United  States  colored  troops,  39th  in- 
fantry, in  Roster.  533. 

United  States  colored  troops.  43d  in- 
fantry, in  crater  445;  in  Koster  533. 

U  p  h  a  m    Capt.  of  58th  Mass..  killed  493. 

Vallandigham  C.  L.,  of  Ohio,  opposes 
the  federal  government,  268 ;  makes  a  se- 
ditious speech  and  is  arrested,  268;  is  tried 
by  military  commission,  269;  sentenced  to 
imprisonment,  269;  applies  for  writ  of 
habeas  corpus,  270;  opposed  by  District 
Attorney  Ball,  271 ;  defended  by  Pugh,  272 ; 
the  writ  refused,  273;  sentence  commuted 
to  banishment,  273;  sent  to  rebel  lines, 
goes  out  of  the  country,  and  at  last  returns, 
273;  trial  of,  causes  excitement,  274;  con- 
demned by  public  sentiment,  274;  has  the 
permanent  stigma  of  treason  upon  him, 
276 ;  Burnside's  statement  in  case  of,  5 10. 

Van  Buren,  James  L.  Maj  .  a  member  of 
military  commission  to  try  Vallandigham, 
269;  sketch  of,  495 ;  his  fidelity  and  manli- 
ness commended,  496;  death  of,  498;  char- 
acter of,  497;  aide  de  camp,  517. 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


553 


Van  Ness  W.  W. ,  Quartermaster,  519. 

Van   Vliet,   Frederic,  aide  de  camp,  517. 

Vermont  17th,  before  Petersburg,  409;  in 
Roster,  525. 

Vermont  3d,  light  artillery  battery  in 
Poster,  525. 

V  i  c  k  s  b  u  rg,  operations  against,  281 ;  Ninth 
Corps  in  rear  of,  281;  name  of  inscribed 
upon  the  flags  of  the  Corps,  288. 

Virginia,  an  admirable  region  for  defence, 
402;  considerations  of  campaign  in,  403. 

Virginia,  1st  artillery,  in  Roster,  532. 

Virginia,  1st  cavalry,  in  Roster,  532. 

Volunteer  Aides  de  camp,  at  Fredericks- 
burg, 533. 

Von  Ejgloffstein,  F.  W.  Col.  of  103d 
New  York,  84. 

Wagner  Jacob  Lieut.,  Quartermaster,  519. 

Walker  Gen.,  commands  rebel  division 
in  Maryland,  121 ;  at  Antietam,  136. 

Walker,  Lindsay  Col.,  commands  rebel 
artillery  at  Fredericksburg,  219. 

Warren,  Gen.,  commands  fifth  corps, 
376 ;  engages  the  enemy,  377 ;  at  the  North 
Anna,  391 ;  at  Cold  Harbor,  397, 407 ;  before 
Petersburg,  408 ;  at  the  battle  of  the  mine, 
434,  445 ;  testimony  of,  461 ;  at  the  Weldon 
R.R.,  465 ;  at  the  Pegram  farm,  467 ;  at  Not- 
toway C.  H.,  472;  moves  to  the  left,  481. 

Way,  W.  B.  Maj.,  fights  Morgan,  298. 

Weld,  S.  M.  jr.  Col.,  captured  in  crater, 
449 ;  commands  brigade,  524. 

Welsh,  Thomas  Gen.,  commands  division 
of  Ninth  Corps  in  Mississippi,  282,  521; 
before  Jackson,  283;  moves  towards  Can- 
ton, 287;  is  stricken  by  disease  and  dies, 
289 ;  character  of,  290 ;  commands  brigade, 
522. 

Wheeler,  a  rebel  raider,  277;  attempts  a 
raid  upon  Rosecrans,  324;  is  defeated  by 
Mott,  346. 

Whipple  Gen.,  commands  division  at 
Fredericksburg,  210,  216. 

White,  Julius  Gen.,  commands  in  Ken- 
tucky, 264 ;  moves  troops  in  Kentucky,  292 ; 
at  Loudon,  318;  at  Lenoir's,  332;  at  Camp- 
bell's Station,  336;  at  Knoxville,  343 ;  be- 
fore Petersburg,  433;  at  the  Weldon  R.R., 
465;  resigned,  465  n.;  relieved,  467;  com- 
mands division,  521. 

Wild,  E.  A.  Col.,  wounded  at  South  Moun- 
tain, 125. 
Wilderness,  battle  of  the  372. 
Willard,  Sidney,  Maj.  35th  Massachu- 
setts, killed,  223. 
Willcox,  Oblando  B.,  commands  brig- 
ade at  Bull  Run,  and  taken  prisoner,  17; 
commands  division  in  Ninth  Corps,  122, 
520;  at  South  Mountain,  124,  125;  at  An- 
tietam, 135.  142,  146;  commands  Ninth 
Corps,  162,  513;  sketch  of,  171;  at  Freder- 
icksburg, 211,  223,  225;  relieved  by  Sedg- 
wick, 249;  commands  in  Kentucky,  262, 
278;  commands  in  Indiana,  282  n.,  291; 
raises  troops  and  goes  to  East  Tennessee, 
317;  at  Blue  Springs,  325;  commands  at 
Greeneville,  329 ;  operations  of,  during  the 
siege  of  Knoxville,  354;  commands  Ninth 


Corps,  358;  commands  division,  359,  367; 
moves  Corps  to  Alexandria,  368 ;  in  the  Wil- 
derness, 373,  374;  at  the  crossing  of  the  Ny, 
376;  near  Spottsylvania  C.  H.,  379,  385;  at 
the  North  Anna,  392 ;  crosses  the  Pamun- 
key,395;  at  Cold  Harbor,  397,  398;  crosses 
the  James,  408;  before  Petersburg,  410; 
makes  a  gallant  fight  at  the  Norfolk  R.  R., 
412, 413 ;  has  an  interview  with  Meade,  432 ; 
ordered  to  attack,  434;  in  the  battle  of  the 
mine,  440;  censured  by  court  of  inquiry, 
453 ;  testimony  of,  454 ;  testimony  concern- 
ing 459;  at  the  Weldon  R.  R,,  465;  brev- 
etted,  465;  at  the  Pegram  farm,  467,  469; 
at  Hatcher's  run, 470;  receives  Peace  Com- 
missioners. 473;  before  Petersburg,  475;  at 
battle  of  fort  Stedman,  477 ;  at  assault  on 
Petersburg,  482;  enters  Petersburg  and 
occupies  it,  486;  issues  farewell  order,  488; 
commands  in  Michigan,  488;  is  mustered 
out,  489. 
Williams  Gen  ,  commands  twelfth  corps , 

119, 138. 
Williams,  Geo.  S.  Aide  decamp,  518. 
Williamson,  R.  S.,  in  North  Carolina, 

65;  engineer,  516. 
Wilson  Col.  of  Grant's  staff,  visits  Burn- 
side,  331.  ,      .     „ 
Wilson  Gen,,  commands  cavalry  in  Vir- 
ginia, 397. 
Wiltsie  killed  before  Knoxville,  493. 
Wisconsin  37th,  in  Roster,  532. 
W i  s  c  o  n  s  i  n  38th,  in  Roster,  532. 
Withington,    W.  H.  Col.,  commands 

17th  Michigan,  125,  531.  . 

W  o  1  f  o  r  d  Col.,  commands  cavalry  in  Ken- 
tucky, 293,  294;  attacks  Morgan,  298;  in 
East  Tennessee,  318;  is  defeated  at  Phila- 
delphia,'^. .  _ 
Woodbury,  T>.  P.  Gen.,  engineer  officer 
in  charge  of  pontons,  190;  has  interviews 
with  Halleck.  191;  is  not  told  of  the  need 
of  celerity,  192;  gives  account  of  ponton 
affair  not  creditable  to  Halleck .,  194 ;  testa- 
monyof.  195;  oversight  of,  196;  Halleck 
wishes  him  called  to  account,  199;  ordered 
to  lay  bridges,  211,  tries  to  do  so,  but  fails, 
213,  succeeds,  214.  W:„+i, 
Wright  Capt..  commands  battery  in  Ninth 

Corps,  385,  386,  526.  ... 

W  ri  gh  t,  Chas.  J.  Lieut.  Col,,  wounded  in 

the  crater,  445. 
Wright,  H.  G.  Gen.,  relieved  by  Burn- 
side  at  Cincinnati,  261;  succeeds  Sedgwick 
in  command  of  sixth  corps  and  is  attacked, 
390  •  corps  of  crosses  the  James,  408 ;  is  sent 
to  Washington,  463;  offers  to  assist  Parke 
at  Fort  Stedman,  480;  corps  of distin- 
guished  in  attack  on  Petersburg,  485. 
Wright   Samuel,  assistant  adjutant  gen- 

Y^uVg?  Capt.  of  2d  Michigan,  killed  in  cra- 

Yoeun9g'men,  the  patriotism  and  self-de- 

Yo°ung  man,' John  C,  assistant  adjutant 

Z  § TlTn e filled  before  Knoxville  493. 


71 


554 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


ADDENDA 

Philip  M.  Lydig,  (p.  514.):    With  the  Corps  throughout. 

MEDICAL  DIRECTOR. 

George  Taylor  :  assistant  Surgeon,  U  S.  A.,  Apr.  1,1856;  Surgeon,  Aug.  27,1862.  Suc- 
ceeded Dr.  McDonald  and  continued  with  the  Corps  till  Mar.  11, 1865. 

James  Harris,  (p.  16,):  brigade  Surgeon,  Mar.  27, 1864;  medical  inspector,  June  19. 1864; 
division  surgeon,  Oct.  19, 1864;  acting  medical  director,  May  20  1865. 

BRIGADE  COMMANDER. 

George  F.  Baulston  :  Colonel  24th  New  York  dismounted  cavalry,  Jan.  26, 1864. 

New  York.    79ift  infantry,  (p.  527) ;  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  More,  Feb.  17, 1863. 


INDEX 


AquiaCreek,  Ninth  Corps  arrives  at,  105 ; 
evacuated,  117 ;  mentioned  by  Lincoln  as 
part  of  line  of  communication,  167;  men- 
tioned by  Burnside  as  base  of  supplies,  180  ; 
occupied,  187;  quartermaster's  depot  at, 
198,205. 


Aspinwall,  Lloyd,  Col.,  aide  de  camp, 

OOQ. 

Lockwood  Samuel.  Commander,  com- 
mands blockading  fleet  off  Beaufort,  72; 
bombards  fort  Macon,  73. 

Turner,  J.  W  Gen.,  commands  a  divis- 
ion in  battle  of  the  mine,  441.